47th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you—the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a paddle. Let’s break it down.

We’re looking at 47th Street, a beach and jetty setup that’s fairly exposed but usually needs a decent push to work. Right now, we’ve got a long stretch of nothing. From Saturday the 29th of August all the way through to the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September, it’s basically flat or tiny, with poor surf conditions every single session. That’s a solid 12-day gap with no real recommendations. The water temperature is sitting at 77°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a solid 4°F warmer than the long-term average.

The first time we see any real energy is on Wednesday the 9th of September. Wednesday morning brings a pulse of 3ft swell from the SE, with a period of 12 seconds and a combined energy of 228—that’s a moderate bump. The wind is cross-off from the SSW at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean. But the surf report still calls it “poor surf conditions,” and the score is a zero. That’s a tough one. It’s not quite coming together.

Wednesday afternoon (9th September) is the closest thing to a standout in this whole run. Swell drops a touch to 3ft from the SE, period still a solid 11 seconds, and energy is moderate at 163. The wind goes light and cross-off from the SW at 6 mph, keeping it glassy. For the first time, the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” earning a score of 1 out of 10. It’s barely rideable, but if you’re desperate, that’s your window. It’s a long period groundswell, so at a beach break like 47th Street, it might break a little straight, but with clean conditions, you might snag a few.

Thursday the 10th of September sees a smaller 2ft swell from the SE, but the wind goes offshore from the WSW at 12 mph in the morning, and from the WNW at 9 mph in the afternoon. Both sessions are rated “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” with a score of 1. Clean, but tiny.

After that, it’s back to poor surf and small waves through to the end of the forecast on Sunday the 13th of September. The afternoon of Saturday the 12th does show a 4ft swell from the NE, but it’s a short period of 6 seconds and the energy is only 128—moderate, but messy. Wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but with that short period, it’ll be a bumpy, weak wave. Not worth getting excited about.

Bottom line: we’ve got one or two sessions on the 9th and 10th of September that are just about surfable, but nothing you’d call a good day. With the swell so small and the conditions so ordinary, a setup like this looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle. Hang in there, though—forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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