Flagler Avenue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's take a look at what's on the menu for Flagler Avenue.

Honestly, mate, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The next few weeks are looking pretty flat and disappointing for any proper surfing. We’re looking at a solid run of tiny, weak waves, and most days the wind is gonna mess with what little we have. The water is sitting at 86°F, which is a degree above the norm for late August, so it's a warm bath out there, but that's about the only highlight.

For the first week, from Thursday the 20th right through to the end of August, we’re just not seeing any real swell. The heights are barely a ripple, mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft, with a weak combined energy (16-46). The wind is all over the place, but mostly cross or onshore, meaning it’s going to be bumpy and messy. The odd morning might be clean, like Saturday the 22nd with a light offshore, but with a piddly 1 ft of east swell, it's just not worth paddling out for. There’s a bit of a bump on Sunday the 23rd afternoon with a 3 ft swell and a period of 12 seconds, which is a nice long-ish period, but it’s getting chopped up by a 12 mph crosswind. The combined energy jumps to 216, but the quality just isn't there.

The pattern doesn't improve much into the start of September. Monday the 31st through to Wednesday the 2nd of September is more of the same, with onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. It’s a desert.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until Thursday the 3rd of September in the morning. We finally get a clean surface with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 2 ft east swell. The combined energy is 87, so it’s still weak, but it’s surfable. The conditions are "very ordinary," which is a step up from poor. Still, it's not going to get your heart racing.

The best of a bad bunch looks like Friday the 4th of September morning. The forecast shows glassy conditions with a 3 ft swell from the NE, and a combined energy of 111. It's still small, but those glassy, clean conditions are a rare treat in this outlook. The swell period is 8 seconds, so it's a bit of a short-period windswell, but if you're desperate for a paddle, this is the one time the stars might align for a few grovelly rides. The south winds will be glassy, and that makes all the difference.

But look, I gotta be straight with you. For a beginner, it's all too small, and for anyone else, it's just not worth the effort. The consistent, tiny nature of the waves means it's a kite surfer's dream setup for most of these days, not a paddle surfer's.

So, to sum it up: there's nothing to get excited about for the next 16 days. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Friday the 4th of September. Keep your eyes on the forecast, though. It rarely stays this poor for this long.

Rusty.

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