Flagler Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in for a good long look at what’s on the table. Breaks might be a bit quiet, but let's talk through it.

We’re looking at a pretty frustrating run of small, messy surf for the next ten days or so at Flagler Pier (beach/pier). Don’t get your hopes up for any kind of real session until at least the 25th. There's a big gap of near nothing before that. Through the middle of the month, from the 14th right through to the 24th, we're mostly looking at knee-to-thigh-high slop. Swell direction is all over the shop but mostly from the east-ish, with periods barely cracking 8 seconds. That’s weak, short-period wind swell with combined energies sitting between 20 and 100 (weak). On top of that, most of the mornings have cross-onshore or onshore wind and the word "poor surf conditions" is on every single record. It’s a write-off for a proper paddle. With the wind and weak quality, this setup honestly looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a regular surfer right now. There's a slight improvement on the morning of the 24th with clean, cross-offshore winds showing up, but the swell is still weak at 3ft from the east. Not worth rushing for.

Now, the light at the end of the tunnel. The standout period arrives on Friday the 25th of September. The morning session is the one to watch for. We’ve got a solid 5ft swell rolling in from the northeast with a period of 8 seconds, building combined energy to 285 (moderate). This is a proper chest-to-shoulder high swell. What makes it special is the wind: S at 9 mph, which is a clean cross-offshore breeze. That means glassy faces and open lines. The crowd situation at Flagler Pier is listed as "often" busy, so expect plenty of company for this one. The swell direction (NE) matches the optimum direction for this spot (NE) perfectly. This is your best bet by a long shot.

Then Saturday the 26th morning is also a beauty. Still 5ft of NE swell, but the wind drops to dead calm—glass, from the east at just 3 mph. Combined energy is 300. That’s clean, smooth, and just a touch smaller than Friday. If Friday is too crowded, Saturday morning is your second chance at clean lines. Sunday the 27th morning repeats the trick: 4ft NE swell with glassy conditions again, winds from the ENE at 3 mph. This is the back end of the same swell pulse, still fun and clean.

The water temperature is sitting around 83°F, and the anomaly is +0.4°F, so it’s bang on average for this time of year. No surprises there.

So to wrap it up: forget the next week and a half. The real window is Friday the 25th through Sunday the 27th of September, with Friday morning being the absolute standout: 5ft of NE swell, light offshore wind, clean conditions. Saturday and Sunday mornings are close runners-up. Crowds will be there, but the quality will be worth it. The long-range stuff after that drops back down into the small stuff again. Get out there when it’s good.

Rusty.

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