56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough run. The only spot showing up on the finder is 56th St, and for the vast majority of the forecast window, it’s just not giving us anything worth paddling out for.

We’re looking at a long, dry spell to start. From Friday the 10th right through until the morning of Sunday the 19th of July, the surf is consistently poor. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and coming from the SSW. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a clean face. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 138 and 350 – no power in the water at all. It’s a total write-off for a solid week and a half.

Now, there is a little flicker of hope on Sunday the 19th of July. The morning sees a bump in swell height to 4ft, coming from the SSE with a period of 15 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves, but it’s also a bit prone to closing out at a beach break. The energy jumps up to 802 – that’s a moderate push. The wind is light cross-onshore from the SW at 6 mph, which is not ideal but it’s light enough to keep things a bit lumpy rather than blown out. The rating is still marginal, and the wave comment says "poor surf conditions" for the afternoon. So, Sunday morning is the only real window of opportunity in the entire 16 days, and it’s a marginal one. For a beginner, 4ft is fine, but the long period might make the sets a bit tricky.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Monday the 20th through to Saturday the 25th of July, swell drops back to 2ft to 4ft, mostly with weak winds and poor quality. The energy dips back into the 100s and low 200s. There’s a brief uptick on Saturday the 25th of July with 3-4ft swell and a 12-second period, and energy hitting 565, but the wind is light onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s still not a goer.

The water temperature at the start is 66°F, which is about 1°F above the long-term average – not a big deal, just a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. The crowds at 56th St can appear sometimes, but with this kind of surf, you’ll likely have the place to yourself.

Honestly, this is a tough stretch. If you’re desperate for a paddle, keep an eye on Sunday the 19th of July morning, but don’t expect much. The rest is a right-off.

Rusty.

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