Flagler Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Flagler Pier.

Alright, I'm gonna be straight with you. Looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a pretty bleak picture for paddle surfing at Flagler Pier. We've got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf that’s mostly blown out. There's no stand-out session, and honestly, it’s a real struggle to find a reason to get wet for most of it.

We start off with next to nothing. The first few days, from the 12th right through to the 15th of September, are a total write-off. Expect tiny 2 ft to 0.3ft waves with weak energy (under 42), and the wind is just all over the shop. There’s a chance of a glassy morning on Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th, but with those tiny anklesnappers, it’s barely worth a look.

There’s a pulse of swell that arrives on the 16th of September, but it’s a messy one. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the NE, but the period is a short, weak 7 seconds. On top of that, we’ve got a strong onshore wind (30 km/h) making a mess of things. The combined energy is moderate (277), but it’s going to be a raw, choppy, onshore mess. The wind stays onshore and messy through the 17th and 18th, with the swell dropping back down under 4 ft. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than for a paddle surfer.

After a brief lull back to tiny flatness from the 19th to the 23rd, we get another solid spike in energy around the 24th and 25th. But again, it's onshore wind from the NE clocking 20 to 40 km/h. The swell on the 24th is 5 ft to 5 ft (moderate energy up to 318) but with a short period and heavy onshore wind, it’s blown out and ugly. On the 25th, we get a weird mix: still a lot of wind energy (290) but the swell period stretches out to 11 seconds, which is a bit more groundswell quality. However, the wind is still howling onshore, so it’s not something I’d get excited about.

The last few days of the outlook, from the 26th to the 27th of September, offer the biggest numbers, but they come with a huge caveat. The swell tops out at 4 ft with a long 12-second period from the ENE, and the combined energy hits 447. That’s a powerful groundswell. The problem? It’s coming with a strong cross-onshore wind (30 km/h), making for lumpy, choppy conditions. A long period swell like this needs a clean, sheltered break to wrap into, and with the wind ruining it at a beach break like Flagler Pier, it’s going to be a washing machine. For experts only, if you’re desperate for some power, but it’s far from ideal.

So, the bottom line: there’s no true standout session here. The surf is either too small, too windy, or both. If you’ve got a kite, you’ll have some fun on the 16th, 24th, and 25th. If you’re looking to paddle, save your energy. The water is warm around 84°F in the early part, which is about average for this time of the year, but that’s the only good news.

Rusty.

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