Fort Fisher Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' at Fort Fisher for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a flat spell to start, so don't get your hopes up just yet.

We're looking at a long, drawn-out period of tiny surf. For the first week, from the 1st through to the 14th of September, it's pretty grim. We're talking ankle-snappers and knee-biters mostly under 3 feet. The energy is weak, with the combined swell energy barely scraping into triple digits on a couple of mornings, hitting 154 on the 2nd morning and 135 on the 15th morning, but mostly sitting well below 100 (52, 65, 34, etc). It's just not doing much. The water temperature is sitting at 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so at least it'll be a warm wait. For a beach and reef setup like Fort Fisher, this kind of lull is pretty normal, but it doesn't mean it won't test your patience.

Now, there are a couple of moments that might be worth a look, but they're not exactly standouts. The morning of the 2nd of September sees a tiny pulse of 3 feet from the SE at 10 seconds, with a light SSW cross-offshore breeze. It's clean, but it's small and very ordinary. The 15th of September morning is the closest we get to something interesting. We see a short-period 4 feet from the ENE at just 6 seconds, with a light WNW cross-off breeze. The combined energy hits 135, which is moderate, but that period is so short it's going to be a bit of a mess. It's not going to be a classic point break or reef wave; it's likely to be crumbly and a bit fat at a beach setup like this. Plus, the 16th looks choppy with onshore winds and a dropping trend.

Honestly, for the first two weeks, there's nothing that screams "go time." The only real standout, and I use the term loosely, is that morning of the 15th of September if you're desperate for a paddle. But don't expect much. The winds are mostly light to moderate and cross-off, so conditions will be clean, but the swell just isn't there to back it up. For beginners, the surf barely cracks 3 feet for most of the period, so it's not too big, but it's also just not very good. If you're an expert, there's nothing here to get excited about either.

So, for the next two weeks, Fort Fisher is a bit of a write-off. It's a classic case of "you should've been here last week." Keep an eye on the forecasts, though; it tends not to stay this quiet for too long.

Rusty.

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