48th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's cut through the noise and look at what we’ve got on the cards for 48th Street over the next couple weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty flat and quiet outlook for the entire 16-day window. There’s nothing that’s going to have you scrambling for your board, with the overall swell energy staying weak. The combined energy of all swells directed here sits at a very low 39 early on, and rarely cracks into the moderate zone.

We kick off on Sunday, August 30th, with tiny 2ft swell from the southeast at a short 8-second period. With a cross-shore wind adding some chop, it’s barely dribbling. That theme sticks around through Monday and Tuesday – just small, weak waves, and while we get a few glassy moments like Monday morning (31st August) with no wind, the swell is only 1ft. Not worth paddling out for.

Wednesday, September 2nd, is the only period that even registers a pulse. The swell ticks up to 2ft from the southeast but the period stretches to 11 seconds, giving it a touch more life. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 118. A light cross-offshore wind in the morning will keep things clean. It’s still small, but this is the best on offer for the whole outlook – a very ordinary but surfable wave for the intermediate crew. Just don’t expect any barrels.

After that, we slide back into the doldrums. Thursday through the start of September is riddled with tiny swell, poor wind directions, and the occasional shower. The swell stays under the knee-waist mark with combined wave energy dropping back into the double digits – as low as 9 by Sunday the 14th.

The second week is more of the same. A few mornings offer clean conditions with light offshore or glassy winds, like Thursday morning, September 10th, and Friday morning, September 11th, but with swell height at 1ft-2ft there’s just no energy to work with. The big news is a strong offshore breeze kicking up on the 11th and 12th, but it’s blowing over waves that are near flat.

So, bottom line: we have a full two-week stretch with no surf worth getting excited about. The best you’ll find is that forgettable Wednesday (2nd Sept) morning. If you’re desperate for a splash, you could mess around on a longboard, but this is one of those stretches where the forecast often changes for the better. It doesn’t stay poor forever, so keep checking back. There’s just nothing happening out there at 48th Street right now.

Rusty.

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