56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s brewing for our local stretch.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a tough run ahead. For the next 16 days, the surf at 56th St is going to be a real session-sitter. The water is sitting at a very unusual 73°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a wild anomaly worth noting if you’re paddling out without a spring suit.

We start off on Thursday morning, August 27th, with a bit of swell – around 3 ft of S swell, with a moderate energy reading (518). The wind is light and onshore from the SW, which has the waves looking pretty marginal. The afternoon stays small and cross-onshore, so honestly, you’re not missing much.

Friday the 28th sees the swell drop to 2 ft and 2 ft, with some long-period groundswell (17 to 19 seconds) from the SSW. That kind of period is tasty in theory, but with onshore/cross-onshore wind, the wave quality just isn’t there. It’s a no-go.

Saturday the 29th sees a tiny bump – 3 ft in the morning with clean onshore wind, but the morning window is only marginal. The afternoon kicks up to 4 ft but with a moderate cross-onshore breeze making it choppy. The energy jumps to 812, which is solid, but the surface is messy.

From Sunday the 30th right through to Thursday, September 10th, it’s a long, drawn-out run of poor surf. Swell hangs around 3 ft to 5 ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore. The few times we get a light breeze or slight air, the wave state is either unknown or just marginal. There’s a bit of promise on Thursday morning, September 3rd – 4 ft from the SSW, period 14 seconds, with light cross-onshore wind and small ripples. That’s the best on offer, and the energy is up at 702, but it’s still only a marginal call. Not the kind of day you tell your mates about.

The second week is a similar story. From September 4th through to the 11th, we’re looking at 2 ft to 3 ft surf, mostly SSW or SW swell, with periods ranging from 14 to 18 seconds but always fighting some kind of cross-onshore chop. The energy dips into the 300s and 400s – weak to moderate. There’s no standout day. No clean offshore windows. The only real highlight is the water temp staying warm, but that doesn’t fix the wave quality.

If you’re a kitesurfer, with waist-high, choppy, cross-onshore conditions, this setup might be more your thing. For paddle surfing, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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