48th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what 48th Street has in store for us. I gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about, so don’t be in a rush to wax up.

The first real chance to even think about a paddle comes on Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. The swell is tiny, only 1ft from the ENE, and the period is a mediocre 9 seconds. The wind is cross-offshore from the NW though, which means the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. The combined wave energy is a weak 62, so you’ll be working hard for scraps.

After that, we slip back into a long, dry spell. From Wednesday the 9th right through to Monday the 14th, it’s pretty much all poor surf with tiny to no swell and windy conditions. Not worth a second look.

Then, on Tuesday the 15th of September, we see a bit of a pulse. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the ENE in the morning, with a period of only 5 seconds. That’s a short-period wind swell, and the combined energy hits 106 – weak to moderate. The wind is cross-off from the SSW, so the morning session will be clean. But it’s still not great quality, and the score is low. This is the best we’ve got for a while, but it’s only for the dedicated.

Wednesday the 16th hangs in there with 4ft from the East, but there’s a risk of thunderstorms. The wind stays cross-off, keeping it clean, with energy at 127.

The real tease comes on Saturday the 19th of September. The swell jumps to 6ft from the ENE, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s a moderate-sized, mid-period swell, and the combined energy is a solid 588. But the wind is a fresh cross-on from the NE, which is going to make it lumpy and messy. It’s a shame, because if the wind was right, that would be a fun day. The size is getting into the range where it’s too big for beginners, but not quite expert territory.

The last few days of the outlook, into the 20th and 21st, the swell drops back down with onshore winds. It’s a bleak run, folks. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

So, to sum it up: the standout, if you can call it that, is the Tuesday morning, the 15th of September, for the cleanest conditions with a bit of size. The Saturday the 19th has the most energy, but the wind ruins it. If you’re a kite surfer, that Saturday might look interesting with the strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy waves, but for us paddle surfers, it’s a tough 16 days.

Rusty.

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