Flagler Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Flagler Pier has in store for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking lean. Real lean. There’s a gap from now until July 28th where the surf is just not worth getting excited about.

We’re looking at tiny, short-period windswell from the SE and ESE for the whole first week. Morning sessions on Sunday the 19th through to Saturday the 26th are seeing swell heights barely bumping 1 ft to 2 ft with periods of 4 to 6 seconds. The wave energy is weak, bouncing around 11 to 46 (combined swell energy). The winds are mostly cross-off or glassy, which would be a blessing if there was any wave to ride, but the “poor surf conditions” tag says it all. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

The afternoon windows are a little bigger, with a few 2 ft to 3 ft pulses, but the period stays short (4-5 seconds) and the wind swings onshore or cross-shore, just making a mess of things. For a beach/pier setup like this, you’re better off with a kite on those afternoons with the stronger cross-shore breeze.

Even when the swell direction shifts more easterly on the weekend of the 25th and 26th, the heights are still tiny. The maximum energy we see in this whole stretch is a moderate 146 on Saturday afternoon the 25th. But the wind is cross-shore and the waves are only 3 ft with a 4-second period, which is just junk.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday morning, July 28th. It’s not a classic, but we finally get a “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” rating. The swell is 2 ft from the east with an 8-second period and a clean offshore wind from the SW. The energy is a moderate 50. It’s small, but it’s rideable, and the morning glass-off will have it looking clean for a longboard. The crowds are “often” an issue at Flagler, so expect company.

After that, the outlook drops back into the doldrums. The Wednesday the 29th through to Monday, August 3rd, is all tiny 1.0 ft to 1 ft waves from the east and ESE. The periods stretch to 8 or 9 seconds, which is a better sign, but there’s just no size to work with. The winds are mostly offshore or cross-off, keeping the surface clean, but you’re chasing ankle-biters.

The only standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of July 28th. It’s the best of a bad bunch. With a 2 ft easterly swell, 8-second period, and clean offshore wind, you’ll get a few grovelly rights and lefts off the pier. It’s far from pumping, but it’s the only window in the whole 16 days where the conditions line up for a paddle.

So, to sum it up: save your energy for the morning of July 28th, and maybe drag the longboard out. Everything else is a skip. It’s a quiet spell for Flagler, but it won’t be dead forever.

Rusty.

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