Flagpoles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next 16 days at Flagpoles are a flat spell you could drive a truck through. We’re talking a solid stretch of nothing but tiny, weak waves and poor conditions. The first real surf recommendation doesn’t even show up until the very end of the outlook, after a long gap of almost two weeks with nothing worth paddling for.

From August 4th right through to August 18th, it’s all poor surf. The swell is barely a ripple, mostly around 0.7ft to 3ft, with periods so short – 4 to 8 seconds – they lack any grunt. The combined swell energy is weak, topping out at just 97 (weak energy) on the 8th, and often dropping into the teens or single digits. Winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore, with a few windows of glassy conditions on the 4th morning, but the swell is too small to do anything with. There’s a risk of thunderstorms on and off, and the water’s average for the time of year – nothing weird going on with the temp.

Now, the only stand-out glimmer of hope comes on August 18th, Tuesday afternoon. The wind swings to a cross-offshore from the SSW at 16 mph, and the forecast says it’s clean. The swell is still tiny – only 0.7ft from the ESE with a period of 8 seconds – and the combined energy is a meager 24 (weak energy). But that clean wind is a rare treat in this run. If you’re desperate for a glide, you might catch a knee-high ripple, but don’t expect any power. The break is a beach and reef, very consistent, and beginner-friendly when there’s swell, but with hardly any waves, it’s mostly a paddle.

Bottom line: this is a long, quiet period. For 16 days, only one short window of clean conditions on tiny surf. The spot is fairly exposed to swell from the NE – that’s the optimum direction – but nothing from that quarter shows up. It’s a tough run, but it won’t stay this way forever. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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