Flagler Avenue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what Flagler Avenue has lined up. Gotta be honest—it’s a rough stretch. The swell is gutless for most of the run, with combined swell energy barely gettin’ out of the low double digits for the first week. Lots of poor surf conditions, with just a few windows that are barely rideable.

Your first chance to even think about paddling out is right now, Wednesday morning, August 19th. The waves are tiny—just 0.4m (1 ft) of weak ESE swell at a short 10 seconds, energy a measly 31. Wind is light cross-shore, so it’s not total junk, but it’s not gonna get you stoked. Water temp is 30°C (86°F), which is about average for this time of year.

The next few days through the rest of August are flat. Swell hangs around 0.3m (1 ft), periods between 8-9 seconds, energy in the teens to twenties. A few mornings are glassy—like Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st with WSW winds—but honestly, with barely enough wave to push a log, it’s more about just floating. Saturday the 22nd morning has a clean 0.3m (1 ft) with light offshore, but still knee-high at best.

We finally get a tiny bump on the afternoon of Thursday, August 27th. Swell hits 0.7m (2 ft) from the ESE, period 9 seconds, energy 75. Wind is offshore from the SW at 25 km/h (16 mph) so it’ll be clean—but still only surfable in a very ordinary way. Friday morning the 28th gives us 0.5m (2 ft) with light offshore, clean but small.

The best of the bunch—the only real standout—is Saturday morning, August 29th. We’ve got 0.6m (2 ft) of E swell, period 10 seconds, with glassy conditions under WSW winds at 5 km/h (3 mph). Energy is 71—still weak, but this is the cleanest, glassiest window we get. The direction (E) is close to the break’s optimum NNE, so it might wrap a bit, but Flagler’s a beach/jetty so it’ll be soft. For beginners, this is actually a nice window: tiny, clean, no stress. Crowds are *often* here, so expect some company.

After that, the second week is even worse. Sunday the 30th morning stays glassy with 0.6m (2 ft), but by afternoon and into early September, the swell picks up in height but turns to junk: 1.0m to 1.2m (3 to 4 ft) from NE/ENE with periods of only 6 seconds—short, choppy, onshore. Even though energy climbs into the 100s, it’s poor surf. By September 3rd, we’re back to 0.7m (2 ft) of E swell at 10 seconds, with light cross-offshore in the morning—barely surfable again.

Bottom line: if you’re gonna paddle out, aim for Saturday morning August 29th. That’s your cleanest shot. Everything else is flat or blown-out junk. Flagler’s in a quiet spell, but that’s normal for the area—forecasts can turn, so keep an eye out. Until then, bring a book.

— Rusty

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