Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Fourth Beach. The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. We’ve got a solid run of SSW groundswell on the cards, but the wind is going to be the main character in this story for a while. Early on, it’s a frustrating wait, but there’s a couple of windows that could really pay off for those who are patient.

The first week is a bit of a write-off. We’re staring at a big, powerful swell from the SSW, with a very long period of 17 seconds, pushing a massive wave energy (5753). That sounds exciting, but it’s accompanied by a fresh, cross-onshore breeze from the ESE at 22 mph, which just wrecks it. The combo of that big swell and the wind makes for poor surf conditions. That pattern hangs around through Wednesday and Thursday, with the wind staying strong and cross-shore, keeping the surface lumpy.

The real kicker is that even when the swell drops a bit, the wind doesn’t truly cooperate until later. Thursday morning the 10th sees the swell drop to 6 ft from the SSW, and the wind goes cross-off from the ENE at 19 mph, cleaning it up. The energy is moderate (1333), but it’s still a marginal call. That trend continues into Friday, with clean 5 ft swell and light cross-off winds, but the scores are just okay.

Now, the standout. The best bet in the whole outlook is Wednesday morning, the 16th of September. We’ve got a clean 7 ft SSW swell with a solid 15-second period, and the wind swings to a light offshore from the north at 6 mph. That’s clean. The wave energy is strong (1821), and the conditions are rated excellent for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle. The water temp is a normal 62°F for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

That light offshore wind continues into Thursday the 17th, with a drop to 5 ft, but the wind goes glassy by the afternoon. Less size, but it’ll be a fun, clean session.

The second week gets wild. The 19th and 20th of September see a massive increase in swell, with 18 ft to 20 ft faces from the SSW. The wave energy absolutely explodes, hitting 21391. The wind is glassy on the 19th afternoon, but the swell is simply too big for Fourth Beach. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s a “too big” call. The following days see the swell slowly drop from 20 ft down to 12 ft, but the wind stays onshore or cross-shore, making it a messy, blown-out proposition for the most part. The big groundswell energy is there, but the conditions don’t line up for a clean paddle.

So, to sum it up: be patient through the first week. The best window is the morning of Wednesday the 16th for clean, offshore conditions on a solid 7 ft SSW groundswell. Thursday the 17th also offers a chance with glassy conditions on smaller surf. After that, it’s a story of size and wind not playing nice together. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because that pattern can shift.

Rusty.

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