56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for 56th St and the next 16 days are a real mixed bag, mostly leaning towards the bad side. The water is a balmy 76°, which is almost 9° warmer than the long-term average – that’s seriously unusual, like stepping into a warm bath. But the waves? They’re mostly missing.

We start off with a few days of junk – tiny, weak swell with cross-onshore winds making it a complete mess. There’s a pulse of energy that arrives on Sunday morning, September 6th. The swell jumps to 5ft from the south with a 14-second period, and the wind goes glassy. That’s the one real highlight. The combined energy is 1065, which is solid, but it’s a short-lived window. The afternoon it bumps up to 6ft, but the wind swings onshore and chops it up. Monday morning holds the size at 6ft with a light cross-shore breeze, but it’s still a bit rough. So that’s your window – Sunday morning and Monday morning are the best bets if you’re keen, but it’s not going to be classic. The swell direction is south-southwest, which is a little off the ideal, but it’s rideable.

After that, the bottom falls out again. From Monday afternoon onwards, the swell fades fast, the wind stays onshore, and the energy drops back into the low hundreds. The second week, from September 13th onward, is flat. Swells drop below 2ft and the periods get long and inconsistent. There is a quick period bump around September 17th and 18th, but there’s no size to it at all.

The only time things look even remotely interesting is that Sunday and Monday morning. The rest is a blank run. This spot is usually more consistent than this, so I’d keep it on the radar, but right now, I wouldn’t be waxing up unless you’re desperate. Those long-period swells might be okay for a reef, but 56th St is a beach break, and that long period will likely make it close out and turn into a mess. Save your energy.

That’s all from me.

Rusty

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