Galveston - Flagship Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for the Galveston-Flagship Pier area. I’ve scanned the next 16 days, and I’ll be honest with you, it’s a tough stretch. The forecast is basically a long run of small, weak, and often messy surf. There’s no standout day, no real reason to get excited. The water temp is sitting at 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the water’s warm.

We kick off on Wednesday the 29th of July, and it’s a no-go. The swell is a paltry 2 ft from the south, with a period of only 5 seconds—that’s weak, windswell stuff. The combined energy is a measly 16, and with a S wind at 16 mph creating cross-onshore chop, it’s just poor. Thursday the 30th morning is clean with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell is still just 2 ft and 5 seconds (energy 14). It’s rideable on a log, but nothing to write home about. Thursday afternoon gets choppy again.

Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August offer a tiny bump. Saturday morning the 1st shows a clean 2 ft from the south, period 5 seconds, energy 18, with a cross-offshore breeze. It’s the closest thing to a window, but it’s still flat. Saturday afternoon gets lumpy with a fresh cross-onshore wind at 22 mph. The swell bumps up to 3 ft, but it’s messy.

From Sunday the 2nd right through to the 13th of August, it’s a relentless grind of tiny swell—mostly 1.0 ft to 3 ft—with periods barely reaching 6 seconds and combined energy figures that are all two-digit numbers, meaning the wave energy is weak. The winds are often onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy. There’s a brief moment on the morning of August 7th (Friday) where it goes glassy with a 1 ft swell from the SE and only 5 seconds period, but it’s still tiny. On the 13th of August, we get a long-period 11-second swell from the SE, but it’s only 0.3 ft, so it’s flat. The combined energy is 16 in the morning, then drops to 11 in the afternoon with a fresh cross-onshore wind.

Bottom line: there’s no swell of consequence. The biggest wave height we see is 3 ft, and that’s paired with poor conditions. The whole 16-day window is a gap of poor surf. For a beginner, the tiny clean morning windows are safe for a paddle, but for anyone wanting a real wave, don’t bother. It’s a flat spell. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a write-off.

Rusty

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