Flagler Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaking for Flagler Pier over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you: it’s a lean stretch. We’ve got a long dry spell to start, and the surf that does show up is pretty ordinary. Hang tight.

The first week is a real bummer. From Thursday, August 20th through Wednesday, August 26th, there’s barely a ripple worth paddling for. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting around 15 (Thursday 20th morning) to 27 (Sunday 23rd morning) – barely a pulse. Waves are hovering at 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft with poor conditions. Friday morning the 21st does go glassy with clean conditions, but there’s no swell to ride. Saturday morning the 22nd has a clean, gentle offshore wind, but again, only 1.0 ft of 9-second E swell, with weak energy (20). It’s frustrating because the wind is right, but the ocean just isn’t delivering.

We finally get a tiny pulse on Saturday afternoon the 22nd. A 2 ft swell from the SE with moderate energy (102) bumps the score up to a 1. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. Sunday afternoon the 23rd has a similar 3 ft SE swell (energy 105), but a moderate 16 mph cross-shore wind chops it right up.

Things don’t really improve. There are glimmers – like Thursday morning the 27th with clean offshore wind and a 1.0 ft ESE swell (energy 23) – but the size is just too small. The only other time we see the combined energy crack the 100 mark is Friday afternoon the 28th, with a 3 ft swell (energy 140) from the ESE, but a strong 16 mph cross-shore makes it a messy, blown-out mess. By the time we get to Wednesday morning, September 2nd, there’s a 2 ft swell showing with glassy conditions and energy at 58, but it’s just a quick moment before the afternoon chop returns.

There are no standouts here. The best on offer, if you are desperate, would be Saturday afternoon, August 22nd. The swell direction is SE, which lines up OK for Flagler Pier, and with a 2 ft swell (energy of 102) it’s at least surfable. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so it’ll be on the cleaner side. But even then, it’s not good – it’s just the least bad option. If you’re a beginner, this 2 ft is fine, but only if you can handle the mediocre quality.

For the rest of the second week (from Aug 30th through Sep 4th), it’s more of the same: tiny swell, weak energy (mostly in the 20s to 60s), and chop. The water temp on that first Saturday the 22nd is 85°, which is about average for the time of year (anomaly is 1°).

With such consistently weak, poor-quality surf and onshore or cross-shore winds, this setup honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing, especially on the windier afternoons, than for paddle surfing.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the charts. It tends not to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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