55th Street Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I've gotta be straight with you—this is a tough stretch for the 55th Street Pier area. Honestly, for the first two weeks, we're looking at a whole lot of nothing. The good news? There's a little pulse of energy trying to build for the very end of the run, but you'll need to be patient. Real patient.

From now through most of August, it's flat. Dead flat. The water temp is running about 77°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but there's no swell to enjoy it in. We're seeing days of clean, offshore mornings on the 17th and 25th, and even a glassy session on the morning of Thursday, 20th August, but with next to no wave height, you're just floating around. The wave energy readings are all in the low double digits (6, 11, 27) for most of that time, which is weak as dishwater. Just not worth paddling out.

The first real glimmer comes on Friday, 21st August. You get a bump up to 3ft from the ENE, but the period is short at 6 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore, so it's a bit lumpy. The energy ticks up to 76 (moderate), but it's still labeled as poor surf. Not the best, but it's the first pulse. The afternoon that same day cleans up a touch with a light NNW cross-off breeze, but the swell drops back to 3ft.

Then it goes quiet again until we hit Thursday, 27th August. That's when the energy starts to build. The morning shows 2ft from the SE with a 12-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 146 (moderate). The wind is onshore though, so it'll be a bit messy. That afternoon is cross-onshore and fairly choppy, so not ideal.

The real standout window is right at the tail end: Saturday, 29th August. We see 3ft from the ESE, with a 9-second period and a *clean* cross-off wind from the SSW all day. The energy is solid at 121. It's still small, but the conditions are finally right. Then Sunday, 30th August, is where it gets a little more interesting. The swell bumps up to 4ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon, also from the ESE. The period drops to 7-8 seconds, so it's a bit jumbled, but the wind goes offshore from the WSW. The combined energy hits 142 to 169 (moderate). That's the best on offer across the whole forecast.

So, call it what it is: a long, dry spell with a little taste of something at the very end. Sunday, 30th August looks like the pick of the bunch. It's not big, it's not perfect, but an offshore wind on a 4ft swell is the closest we'll get to a decent surf. If you're keen, that's your window.

Rusty.

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