Fort Fisher Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Look, I’ll be straight with you – this stretch isn’t shaping up to be a classic. We’re in for a long, dry spell with barely a ripple to get excited about for the next 16 days. The pattern is flat, and you’ll be waiting a good while before anything even looks like it might be worth a paddle.

Right now, there’s nothing on offer. The first real chance at anything doesn’t pop up until the morning of the 24th, and even then, it’s tough. That week between now and then is a write-off – tiny little knee-high slop, mostly from the SE, with cross-offshore winds that might keep the surface clean, but there’s no energy behind it. The combined energy is very weak (single digits and low teens), so don’t bother.

Alright, let’s talk about the only real pulse of energy we see. It shows up on the morning of Friday the 24th of July. The swell bumps up to about 5 ft – that’s a legit size, but it’s coming from the ENE with a short, choppy period of just 5 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell, so it’ll be messy. The combined energy hits 181 (moderate), but the wind is cross-onshore from the NE at 16 mph, making it choppy and lumpy. That’s a tough look for a clean wave. Fort Fisher (North Carolina) is a beach and reef setup, so this short-period stuff won't hold shape well. For beginners, 5 ft is pushing it; for everyone else, the wind is the enemy here. Honestly, it looks more like a kite session than a paddle-surf day.

Things settle down a bit, but it’s not really a comeback. The morning of Tuesday the 28th of July has another pulse – 4 ft from the E, again short period (5-6 seconds), with cross-onshore wind from the NE at 19 mph. Combined energy is 121 (moderate), but the wind is fresh and lumpy, making it another choppy, frustrating day. The water temp is sitting at a warm 83°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least there’s no chilly shock.

The rest of the forecast is a repeat of the same story: small, short-period, onshore or cross-onshore wind. You’ll see a few cleaner moments early on the morning of the 30th of July – light winds from the NNE, but the swell is tiny (2 ft) and weak. It’s a bottom-scratcher at best.

The standout – if you can call it that – is the morning of the 24th of July. It’s the only day with a height over 4 ft, and the energy is the highest we see. But it’s a washout for quality. The wind is wrong, the period is short, and it’s choppy. It’s a hard pass unless you’re desperate.

After that, things just dribble away. The last week of July and into August is flat, weak, and mostly cross-shore. There’s a tiny window on the morning of the 1st of August with a light NW breeze and clean conditions, but the swell is a pathetic 0.7 ft. You’d be bobbing on a lake.

So, bottom line: this is a 16-day blank for any decent surf. The only real pulse is a messy, short-period windswell on the 24th of July, and even that’s a struggle. For the area, a quiet run like this isn’t unheard of, but it’s a tough one to swallow. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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