Flagler Avenue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Flagler Avenue over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this is a tough stretch. There’s no good surf to get excited about for a long time. The first recommendation doesn’t even pop up until Wednesday the 19th of August, and even then it’s pretty average. So we’re looking at a solid two-week gap with nothing worth paddling out for, so you might as well wax the board for a day or two in the future and keep your expectations real low.

For the first few days, it’s all small, weak, and messy. Tuesday the 4th through to the end of the first week, we’re looking at tiny swell – around 1 ft to 2 ft – coming from the east and east-southeast, with periods mostly under 8 seconds. That’s weak, short-period windswell with very low energy, often sitting under 100 (combined energy around 28 to 43). On top of that, the winds are mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore, with some moderate breezes that chop things up. There’s a few glassy moments on Tuesday the 11th morning and Thursday the 13th morning, but with swell that small, it’s not doing you any favours.

Even into the second week, it’s more of the same. Small waves, poor conditions, and that east-southeast windswell keeps rolling in with very little punch. The odd light offshore or glassy window shows up, like on the morning of the 12th and the 14th, but the swell height is still below 2 ft. Nothing to write home about.

Finally, on Wednesday the 19th of August, things perk up just a little. Morning session at Flagler Avenue sees a 2 ft east swell with a 9-second period, and the wind is light offshore from the west-southwest. Combined energy hits 65, so it’s still weak, but the conditions are clean. The score is only a 1 out of 10, but compared to the rest of this run, it’s the best on offer. This is the only real standout, and it’s nothing special – just the least ordinary surf in a very quiet spell.

Flagler Avenue is a beach and jetty setup, very consistent, and usually exposed to the north-northeast for optimum swell. But with this long run of weak east-southeast windswell and average wind, it’s not delivering. The water temperature is 84°F – about normal for the time of year, so at least you can have a comfortable paddle even if the waves aren’t there.

If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets over 5 ft here, so it’s not dangerous, but it’s also not worth the effort until that Wednesday morning. For experienced surfers, there’s nothing here to chase until that brief window. The rest of the time, with the weak, short-period swell and cross-shore winds, it might actually look better for a kite session than a paddle.

Hang in there – forecasts can change, and it won’t stay this flat forever.

- Rusty

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