56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Honestly, looking at this stretch, it’s a bit of a waiting game. The next week to ten days are pretty grim, with only tiny, weak surf, mostly walled-off and messy. You’ll see ankle-biters in the 1.6ft to 3.6ft range, but the winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and it’s just not going to be worth paddling out for anything but a sanity check. There’s a real gap here with no decent options. Don’t get too down, though; it looks like things might finally turn on the second Wednesday, the 9th of September. That’s the one to keep an eye on, but it’s far out, so treat it as a promising rumor, not a guarantee.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday morning, the 29th of August. 56th St (sheltered) will have some clean-ish 3.3ft surf with a 17-second period from the SSW. The light onshore breeze will keep it a bit lumpy, but it’s the only thing that comes close to a session. The energy is moderate, but it’s not enough to get excited about. The rest of the first week is a write-off. We’re looking at poor surf conditions day after day, with the swell dropping and the wind switching cross-on. It’s not worth your time or gas money.

Now, let’s talk about that potential window. On Tuesday the 8th, the morning is still marginal, but the swell is starting to lift. Then Wednesday the 9th sees the biggest push of the whole period. Morning will have 5.2ft surf from the south with a 12-second period, and the energy is getting strong. The wind is light cross-on, so it might be a little lumpy, but it’s the biggest and most powerful we’ve seen. This is the standout. It’s still only for the experienced crew, as it’s pushing past the 5ft mark, and the shortish period means it could be a bit walled. But for those who know the break, it could be fun. The afternoon sees it get a touch bigger at 5.9ft, but the period drops and the wind gets worse, so the morning window is the one. After that, it fades back down to smaller, cleaner but weaker surf for the next couple of days.

So, to sum it up: don’t bother for the next week. Just do your equipment checks. The only real highlight is the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September, where we might finally get some proper waves with some punch.

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