Fortress Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.02° N 71.96° W

Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 26 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Fortress sea temperature is
21.6°C
0.3° 

Fortress surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Fortress surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, S swell with 78 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with ESE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fortress this week:

The surf forecast for Fortress over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Fortress in the next 16 days are 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Fri 28th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Best Surf 8PM (Fri 28th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Most Powerful 2AM (Fri 28th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fortress over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – we’ve got a long, frustrating stretch ahead at Fortress. This is a reef break that’s pretty consistent, but the conditions just aren't lining up for a decent paddle session for the better part of two weeks.

The first real chance for a wave is Wednesday morning, the 26th of August. We’re looking at tiny 2 ft swell from the SE with a short period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 42, so it’s barely pushing. On the bright side, the wind is a light offshore from the WNW at 6 mph, keeping things clean. The water is sitting at about 71°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. But honestly, this is a poor surf, a beginner-level wave. It’s not something to get excited about.

That afternoon, the wind swings onshore and gets stronger, and the conditions just get worse. We go through a whole run of poor surf – Thursday the 27th has moderate cross-shore winds and chop, Friday the 28th is a little better with a light breeze making it clean, but the swell is still tiny and weak. The energy jumps a bit Friday morning to 105, but the period drops to a pathetic 6 seconds. It’s just not holding together.

We roll through the weekend and into the start of September with nothing but small, weak, and messy surf. There’s a gap of about 10 days where the scores are all zero. The wind is all over the place, and the swell never gets above 3 ft until the second week of September.

Now, the first week of September is a bit of a tease. The swell energy starts to build, but it’s all cross-onshore, so the quality is shot. On the 6th of September, a Sunday afternoon, we see a jump in energy to 176 with a 3 ft swell from the ESE, but the period is 11 seconds – a proper groundswell. The problem? Fresh cross-onshore wind at 19 mph making it lumpy. That’s a mess.

The best looking window in the whole 16 days comes on the 9th and 10th of September. Wednesday the 9th has a clean offshore wind from the WNW at 16-19 mph, with a 2 ft ESE groundswell (11 seconds) and moderate energy around 112-115. It’s still small, but it’s clean. Then Thursday the 10th of September brings a stronger offshore – 22-25 mph from the WNW – with a 2 ft ESE swell. The energy is only 89, but the wind is fresh to strong offshore, making it clean. That’s the standout window. The waves are small, but they’ll be the cleanest we see. For an expert, it’s a fun little session on a reef. For beginners, it’s too windy and the offshore will be hard to handle.

The long-period swell (11 seconds) is a groundswell, which is good for this reef. It’ll give some shape, but the size is just too small to get excited about. There’s nothing here over 5 ft, so no issues with it being too big.

Honestly, the whole period is a bit of a dud. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the 9th and 10th of September are your best bet, but don’t expect much. The rest of the time, the setup is more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers, given the onshore winds and choppy conditions.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 20°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the SSW by Thu night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 25°C on Sat afternoon, min 20°C on Tue morning). Mainly fresh winds.

Wed
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
ESE
8
0.7
ESE
8
0.7
ESE
9
0.6
ESE
9
1.1
S
6
0.9
S
6
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.6
S
7
0.5
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.6
SSW
5
0.5
S
5
0.6
S
6
0.4
SSE
6
0.3
SE
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
47
62
65
50
78
58
44
48
32
32
33
28
25
17
16
17
14
22
11
23
Wind (km/h)
15
SW
15
SW
20
S
25
SSW
20
S
15
SW
15
SW
20
NNW
10
NNW
15
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
30
SW
30
SW
15
SW
5
WSW
25
WSW
35
NNE
35
ENE
30
E
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
7:45PM0.87m
8:07AM0.80m
8:14PM0.88m
8:37AM0.85m
8:44PM0.89m
9:07AM0.89m
9:17PM0.88m
9:40AM0.92m
9:54PM0.86m
10:17AM0.94m
10:34PM0.82m
10:59AM0.94m
11:19PM0.77m
Low Tide
1:34AM0.06m
1:34PM0.10m
2:05AM0.02m
2:14PM0.06m
2:37AM-0.01m
2:55PM0.05m
3:11AM-0.02m
3:38PM0.04m
3:47AM-0.01m
4:22PM0.05m
4:26AM0.01m
5:11PM0.09m
clear
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thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:09
6:09
6:11
6:11
6:13
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:30
7:29
7:27
7:24
7:23
7:22
7:21
 mm
1
1
1
1
1
9
Temp °C
23
23
24
24
23
24
25
24
21
25
25
25
24
24
24
24
25
24
20
18
Feels °C
22
23
23
22
22
26
27
26
21
22
21
23
21
21
25
24
26
21
16
15
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Fortress Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Fortress provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fortress can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fortress surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Fortress) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Fortress may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Fortress is 39 km (24 miles) from New London. If you plan a vacation in Long Island New York, look for hotels and other accommodation in New London. New London has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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