55th Street Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. It’s a rough stretch ahead for 55th Street Pier. We’re looking at a whole lot of flat, weak, and pretty uninspiring conditions over the next couple of weeks. There’s no big pulse on the horizon, so if you’re desperate for a wave, you’re going to be scratching for scraps.

Right now, the water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, about 75.9°, so at least it’ll be pleasant while you’re sitting there waiting for something that never really shows.

Looking at the immediate forecast, Wednesday morning starts things off with a weak 2ft of short-period SE windswell, but it’s messy with a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy is weak at just 33. Not worth suiting up for. That afternoon the swell just disappears completely, dropping to a pathetic 0.3ft. We're looking at a couple of days of this junk.

Thursday is a bit better direction-wise with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell is still tiny. You’re looking at maybe 2.6ft in the morning, still short-period and weak. There’s a slight bump in the afternoon to 3.3ft, but the energy is only at 62, so it’s not going to have any punch. It's clean, I’ll give it that, but it’s still poor surf.

The weekend is a write-off. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all have just knee-high dribbles, with the swell barely registering. We’re talking 0.7ft to 1.3ft at best, with combined energy in the single digits or low twenties. It's flat. There’s a tiny bit of offshore wind at times, but there’s just nothing to push. A longboard might get you a glide on a good day, but we don't even have that.

The start of next week, Monday the 11th and Tuesday the 12th, is more of the same. A little bump of south swell on Monday morning gets to 2ft with a gentle offshore wind, but it’s weak and the energy is still pathetic at 29. It's a small step up from flat, but not by much. Then it just fades away again.

We have a long, empty stretch here. From roughly the 7th to the 13th, there’s basically nothing. You could probably walk out to the sandbar and not get your knees wet. It’s a proper flat spell.

Looking further out, the middle of next week is just a tease. Thursday the 14th afternoon shows a little pulse of south-southeast swell at 2.6ft, but it’s got a terrible 4-second period. That’s just wind chop, not a real swell. It’s clean, but it’s not going to be rideable. And then it’s gone again.

The following weekend, the 16th and 17th, might be the most interesting of the bunch, and that’s saying something. We finally see some energy pick up with 3ft of east-northeast swell on Sunday the 16th, and the energy reading jumps to 43 and 53. It’s still smallish, but it’s the most we’ve had in a while. The period is still short, so it won’t be world-class, but it might offer a few crumbly walls. Still, with the poor overall quality, I wouldn't be too hyped.

The long-range stuff around the 18th and 19th looks pretty poor again, with tiny swell and moderate cross-offshore winds. There’s just no consistency, no power, no real direction. Everything is from the southeast, which isn't ideal for this spot, and the periods are junk.

To be honest, this forecast is grim. 55th Street Pier is a consistent spot, so a run like this is a bit of an anomaly, but it happens. My advice? Dust off the longboard, or take up fishing for a couple of weeks. The forecast models can change, and with this much time out, something could pop up, but as it stands, there is not a single day I’d recommend paddling out thinking you’re going to get a decent wave. The setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers if anything, with some cross-offshore winds and a bit of chop on a couple of days. For the paddle crew, it's a waiting game.

Keep an eye on it, but don't hold your breath.

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