Fort Fisher Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – it’s looking pretty grim for a paddle. The surf forecast for this area is a real drought, and we’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak waves and generally poor conditions. Don’t expect much at all for the first week and a half. There’s a big gap of nothingness before we finally see a tiny flicker of life.

We start off on Saturday the 22nd of August with waves barely reaching 1 ft out of the ESE. That’s a weak 23 combined energy. It’s glassy in the morning with no wind, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything. That poor run continues day after day. We’ve got a mix of cross-offshore and cross-shore winds through the end of August, but the swell is stuck around 0.7 ft to 1 ft with periods between 8 and 13 seconds. The wave energy is always below 60 – that’s weak, weak stuff. Honestly, if you’re desperate for a float, maybe, but for a proper surf? Forget it.

That dead spell stretches all the way through to the beginning of September. The water temperature is sitting at a warm 85°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won't freeze while you're sitting there waiting for a set that never comes.

Now, here’s the only glimmer of hope in the whole outlook. We finally see a bump on Tuesday the 1st of September. The swell picks up to 2 ft to 2 ft from the SE, with periods stretching out to 13-15 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 143 in the morning and 208 in the afternoon – that’s moderate energy, a real step up. Wednesday the 2nd of September keeps that going with 3 ft swell from the SE and an 11-second period, energy hitting 221. That’s the best we’re going to see.

But here’s the catch: Fort Fisher is an inconsistent beach and reef break, and even with this pulse, the conditions are still being called “poor.” The winds are cross-offshore, which helps keep things clean, but the waves are still tiny and the quality is not there. It's not a standout by any stretch. This is the only window where you might get a couple of rideable ones, but don’t get your hopes up for anything epic. After Thursday the 3rd of September, it drops right back down to nothing again. The forecast confidence on that little bump is reasonable since it’s in the first week, but the quality just isn’t there to make it a true standout.

So, bottom line: for the next 16 days, there are no good surf options. The setup is too small and weak for paddle surfing. If the wind holds, this whole stretch looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard. It’s a tough run, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can always change, so keep an eye out, but for now, I’d say save your energy.

Rusty.

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