Flagler Avenue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey everyone, it’s Rusty. Let’s be straight with you – if you’re looking to paddle out at Flagler Avenue over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to need some patience. Right now, and for quite a stretch, the surf is tiny, junky, or just flat-out not worth it. The good news is that towards the end of the forecast there’s a short window where things finally line up.

Alright, so starting from Monday the 24th through the end of August, it’s pretty grim. We’re talking max swell heights around 2ft to 2ft, and even then the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, making for chopped-up, messy conditions. The wave energy is super weak, with combined swell energy readings in the teens and thirties – just no power behind it. There’s a couple of mornings with clean, glassy conditions (like the 31st) but still no real swell to speak of. It’s a tough stretch with no recommendations from me.

We roll into September, and the first week is a slow cooker. Tuesday the 1st shows a pulse of very long-period groundswell (16 seconds) but it’s only 1ft to 2ft. The energy jumps to 109, which is still weak, and the cross-onshore wind keeps it from being any good. Wednesday the 2nd is a tease – a completely glassy morning with that clean-as-a-whistle vibe, but again, only 2ft of swell. It’s surfable but really ordinary. The wait continues through the 5th, 6th, and 7th with similar small, messy stuff.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The standout window is Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th. On Thursday morning, the swell bumps up to 3ft from the east with a 12-second period, and we’ve got a clean offshore wind out of the WSW. The combined energy jumps to 209 – moderate wave energy – and the conditions are clean. That morning session is your best bet of the whole 16-day run. Then Friday the 4th afternoon looks real promising too: the swell stays around 3ft from the east, still a solid 13-second period, and it goes glassy as the wind drops to nothing. Wave energy hits 268. That Friday afternoon could be the true highlight of the period – clean, small but fun, and no crowds are mentioned so you might have it quiet.

After that, it fades again. By Saturday the 5th, we’re back to messy cross-onshore junk, and the run through to the 8th remains poor with small, weak swells. The morning of Monday the 7th has a clean, glassy start but only 3ft of short-period windswell (9 seconds) – it’ll be soft and won’t hold.

So, to keep it simple: if you can, point your board at Thursday morning (3rd September) or that glassy Friday afternoon (4th September) at Flagler Avenue. The rest? Save your energy for something else.

Stay patient, check the horizon, and I’ll catch you next time.

Rusty.

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