Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into the surf outlook for Fourth Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Overall, it’s a mixed bag. There’s a persistent SSW swell running, but the wind is going to be our biggest battle for most of the run. There are a couple of standout sessions if you time it right, but a lot of the time, the conditions will be a bit of a wrestle. The good news is the swell energy is mostly moderate to strong, with values often in the thousands.

Starting off on Wednesday, September 16th, it’s a bit messy. We’ve got a clean-looking morning with 6ft SSW swell at 14 seconds, but that cross-off wind (16 mph) is going to make it raw. The energy is good, but the score is just a 2. It’s a marginal call.

Thursday, September 17th, sees a drop in size to 4ft, but the wind goes offshore from the N, hitting 19 mph in the morning. That’s a fresh breeze, making for some clean, bumpy surf. The afternoon stays offshore at 16 mph. Swell period is a long 15 seconds, so those waves will have some punch. This is a decent window for a smaller, clean wave.

The situation improves on Friday, September 18th. Morning starts with offshore winds (NNW 12 mph) and a clean 2ft swell from the SW with a very long 16-second period. It’s small, but clean and lined up. The afternoon turns, so get out early.

Saturday, September 19th, gets a bit wild. Swell bumps up to 8ft by the afternoon, and the wind is a messy cross-shore/cross-onshore situation. The energy spikes into the strong range. It’s more of a kite surfing day. The conditions are lumpy and choppy.

Sunday, September 20th, is similar. A solid 6ft SSW swell but with a cross-shore wind. The afternoon brings onshore wind and 6ft. Still marginal.

Now here’s our first real standout. Check Monday, September 21st. The morning session sees a solid 8ft SSW swell at a long 15 seconds, combined energy hitting the strong range. And the wind goes light from the E, creating a light cross-shore with only small ripples. This is a major positive. It’s a bit big for beginners (over 5ft), but for anyone comfortable, this is the best we’ve seen. The afternoon gets wrecked by a fresh 22 mph cross-wind though.

The middle of the week, Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd, is a write-off. Solid swell (7ft to 8ft) but constantly battling cross-shore and cross-onshore winds.

We then hit a quiet, poor patch from Thursday, September 24th, all the way through the weekend (Sept 26-27). The swell stays up, but the winds are a strong, consistent cross-onshore flow, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. The 10ft to 12ft SSW swell on Saturday and Sunday is huge, but it’s a messy, dangerous mess for anyone but experts. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Things start to turn around on Monday, September 28th. Still a 6ft SSW swell, but the wind drops to next to nothing (3 mph) in the morning, creating a light cross-onshore.

And then we get the clear standout, but it’s a long-range call for Tuesday, September 29th. The morning session is described as “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” with a score of 5. We’ve got a 10ft SSW swell at a very long 18 seconds, and the wind is glassy from the ESE (3 mph). The energy is massive. This is a serious, powerful groundswell. For Fourth Beach, a long-period swell like this is more of a point or reef wave, so it might be a bit straight on the beach, but for an experienced surfer, that glassy morning is as good as it gets.

Finally, Wednesday, September 30th, and Thursday, October 1st, offer a potential follow-up. On the 30th, the afternoon session shows an 8ft SSW swell (17 seconds) with a clean, cross-off wind. It scores another 5 for excellent conditions. Thursday the 1st has a 8ft swell with a light cross-shore. It’s promising, but with it being over a week away, treat it as a hopeful possibility.

The best bets are the clean, offshore mornings on the smaller days (like Thursday 17th and Friday 18th morning), and the big, glassy expert window on Tuesday, 29th September morning is the true standout.

Rusty.

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