Fort Fisher Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, I gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a flat spell. The first real chance of anything rideable is a long way off, and even then, it's not going to be anything to write home about. We're looking at a big gap of weak, small surf for the first week and a half, with nothing to get excited about at all.

For the first few days, right through the middle of the month, it's tiny. We're talking ankle-snappers at best. The water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The swell energy is just pathetic, barely getting into double digits for most of it. For example, on the morning of the 10th, the combined energy is a measly 53 (weak). You're better off doing something else.

There's a little spike in the wind on the 17th of September, with that ENE swell bumping up to 5ft, but it's a short period of just 6 seconds – that's pure wind-chop. The wind is howling cross-onshore at 16 mph, making it lumpy and a mess. The combined energy jumps to 154 (moderate), but for a beach and reef setup, that's just going to be a washing machine. This one looks more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers, to be honest.

After that, it drops right back off again. We get a bit of a clean-up on the 18th and 19th with some offshore and cross-offshore winds, but the swell is gone – down to 3ft and 2ft with barely any energy. It's clean, but there's nothing to ride.

The standout, if you can call it that, is that Thursday the 17th of September. It's the most energy we see all period, but with the poor quality, it's a real low bar. The swell direction out of the ENE doesn't match the optimum NE direction for Fort Fisher, so it's not even wrapping in well. There's a moment on the 18th of September morning with a clean 3ft and a bit of a cross-offshore breeze, but honestly, it's a desperate pick.

So, bottom line: there's no good surf on offer in this 16-day window. It's a long, blank run that's pretty normal for the area when the weather patterns set in like this. Don't hold your breath; the forecasts can change, but for now, it's a no-go.

Rusty.

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