56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for 56th St over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, it’s a tough stretch. The water’s a touch warmer than normal at 69°, which is a bit unusual for this time of year, but that’s about the only bright spot. The wind is coming in from the south, cross-onshore, and the swell is tiny – just 1ft from the southwest. That’s a very long period swell of 19 seconds, so there’s serious energy behind it, but the wave energy is weak (210). The combination of small size and onshore chop means the surf is poor. We’ve got a long gap ahead.

Friday the 17th through Saturday the 19th sees the swell slowly building, but it’s still small – 2ft to 3ft – and the wind stays cross-on or onshore, keeping things messy. The wave energy picks up into the moderate range (328 to 555), but the surf quality is still poor. Not worth paddling out for.

The gap of poor surf stretches through to Sunday the 21st. On Monday the 20th we get a tiny glimmer with 4ft of swell from the south, but it’s a short period of 13 seconds and the wind is still cross-onshore. The combined energy is moderate (780), but conditions are marginal at best. This pattern continues through Tuesday the 21st, where the swell is 4ft, but it’s still cross-onshore and the wind is light. Not the kind of clean surf you want.

The real standout, and the only one worth getting excited about, is Saturday the 25th. On the morning of the 25th, the swell comes from the south-southwest at 3ft, but the period jumps to a very long 21 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1122). The wind is light and onshore, but the setup is better than anything else in the window. The afternoon sees the swell size jump to 4ft from the same direction, but the period drops to 14 seconds and the wind turns cross-onshore, making it a bit more choppy. Still, the morning session on the 25th is the best on offer, but it’s a long way out – over a week – so keep an eye on the forecasts.

After that, from Sunday the 26th onwards, the swell stays around 3ft to 3ft, mostly from the south-southwest, with periods between 14 and 18 seconds. The wave energy is moderate to strong (809 to 1182), but the wind is never truly favorable. It’s either onshore or cross-onshore, so the surf remains marginal at best. The morning of the 27th looks poor, but the afternoon of the 27th has a glimmer with 4ft and a 19-second period, though the wind is onshore again.

The last few days of July and into August, the swell drops off to 2ft to 3ft, and the energy fades to weak (244 to 288). Wind stays cross-onshore, and surf quality is poor. It’s a quiet end to the outlook.

So, bottom line: the first week is a write-off for decent waves. The one day to keep hope for is Saturday the 25th, especially the morning, but it’s a long-range call. Surf isn’t looking great for a while, but it’s a sheltered spot and forecasts can change. Stay tuned.

Rusty.

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