Fortress Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.02° N 71.96° W

Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 19 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Fortress sea temperature is
19.9° C
1.5° 

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


Fortress surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with 1,252 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with S 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Fortress in the next 16 days are 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2PM (Sun 19th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 6s
Best Surf 8AM (Thu 23rd Jul)6ft (1.9m) 10s
Most Powerful 8PM (Wed 22nd Jul)8ft (2.5m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Fortress. It’s a reef setup that’s fairly consistent with the swell, but honestly, this 16-day window looks pretty quiet overall. We’ve got no decent waves to speak of in the first few days, so don’t bother paddling out yet.

Right off the bat, Sunday the 19th is flat and messy – a tiny 3 ft south swell with weak energy (58) and a moderate breeze making it cross-off. The water’s a bit colder than normal at 68°, sitting about 3° below average, so you’ll want a decent suit. Monday the 20th starts glassy with a 2 ft south swell (61), but it’s so small it’s barely surfable. That glassy moment is a tease, but the waves just aren’t there. Things stay flat and weak through Tuesday the 21st, with messy cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions.

Now, here’s the one standout in the whole run – Wednesday the 22nd. We get a solid jump in size with a 8 ft SSW swell on the morning, and the combined energy spikes right up to 1126 – that’s proper strong. The wind is cross-off from the SW, so the reef should hold up clean. It’s a 9-second period, which is decent, but with that much size it’s going to be only for the experienced crew – beginners, stay out of the water. The afternoon holds at 7 ft from the south, a bit longer period at 10 seconds, still clean with cross-off winds. This is the best call in the whole forecast, but it’s a heavy one.

Thursday the 23rd is still worthwhile with a 6 ft SSE swell (577) and fresh offshore NW wind in the morning, plus a drop to 4 ft from the south in the afternoon with moderate offshore breeze. The waves are clean, quality enough to get a few, but nothing compared to Wednesday’s punch.

From Friday the 24th onward, it’s pretty much back to small weak junk. We bounce around 2 ft to 5 ft for the rest of July, with poor conditions, cross-shore winds, and choppy seas most days. The 29th shows a 5 ft SSW swell (194) with light wind and clean conditions, but it’s still ordinary and short period. Into the first days of August, it’s tiny again – 2 ft to 2 ft, with weak energy (32-102) and light cross or onshore breezes. Nothing worth paddling for.

So here’s the summary: The whole run is a long stretch of meh, minus that heavy Wednesday the 22nd. If you’re an experienced surfer hungry for some power, that’s your one shot. Everyone else, keep your gear in the car and watch for forecasts to change – it tends not to stay poor for long around here.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun morning, calm by Mon morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 26°C on Wed night, min 18°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Wed morning, light winds from the NW by Fri night).

Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
3
2
2
2
1
0
1
1
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)
0.8
S
6
0.7
S
7
0.8
S
8
0.7
S
8
0.7
S
7
0.8
S
7
0.9
SSE
7
0.9
SE
4
2
S
8
2.3
SSW
8
2.2
S
10
2.3
S
10
1.8
SSE
9
1.3
S
9
1.1
S
8
0.8
S
8
0.8
SE
8
0.8
SE
8
0.7
SE
7
0.6
SE
7
0.7
SE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
49
49
78
55
51
63
91
26
441
688
876
1134
577
264
167
78
73
67
51
39
49
Wind (km/h)
25
NW
20
W
25
NNE
5
NW
15
S
20
SSE
30
SE
25
SSE
25
SSW
35
SW
25
SW
25
WNW
30
NW
20
W
10
WNW
10
NW
20
SSW
10
W
10
N
15
SSW
10
NE
Wind State
cross-off
off
cross
glassy
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
cross
off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
High Tide
12:33PM0.91m
00:35AM0.76m
1:24PM0.88m
1:18AM0.68m
2:18PM0.84m
2:02AM0.61m
3:18PM0.80m
2:56AM0.57m
4:23PM0.79m
4:16AM0.55m
5:25PM0.79m
5:36AM0.56m
6:18PM0.81m
Low Tide
6:20PM0.11m
6:23AM0.07m
7:21PM0.17m
7:03AM0.12m
8:32PM0.22m
7:48AM0.17m
9:44PM0.24m
8:40AM0.20m
10:46PM0.24m
9:41AM0.21m
11:38PM0.22m
10:42AM0.21m
00:23AM0.19m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:31
5:31
5:33
5:33
5:33
5:35
5:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:15
8:14
8:13
8:13
8:12
8:10
 mm
12
3
Temp °C
22
26
26
20
23
22
22
23
23
23
25
26
18
23
24
20
23
23
23
25
24
Feels °C
19
22
22
19
19
18
20
23
23
21
24
25
14
19
22
19
19
20
22
23
24
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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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