Galveston - Flagship Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Flagship Pier. It’s one of those stretches where the ocean just seems to be taking a long nap. The water’s warm, sitting at 87°, which is a bit toastier than usual for this time of year, almost two and a half degrees above normal.

Kicking off on July 6th, it’s flat. We’re talking barely a ripple. The combined energy is a measly 8. You get a light cross-offshore breeze in the morning, but with swell at 0.3 ft from the southeast and a short period, there’s absolutely nothing to ride. That theme sticks for the whole first week. A tiny bump to around 1 ft on July 7th, but it’s still poor.

The whole first week is a washout. From July 8th through to July 13th, it’s all poor surf conditions with tiny, short-period swell between 2 ft and 3 ft, mostly with onshore or choppy winds. The combined energy stays weak, barely scraping into the 40s. Don't even bother.

We finally get a flicker of hope on Tuesday, July 14th. Tuesday morning shows a clean, light offshore breeze from the WNW, and the swell height climbs to 3 ft from the SSE with a 6-second period. The combined energy hits 53. The data even admits it’s "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It’s the only time the score rises above zero in the whole outlook. This is the best of a bad bunch. That offshore wind will polish the surface nicely, but the swell is tiny and short, so don’t expect any grunt. Still, it’s a Monday, so crowds might be manageable despite the pier often being busy.

After that, Wednesday July 15th morning has a bit more offshore wind (12 mph) but the swell drops back. We see a bump to about 4 ft on Wednesday afternoon, but the wind turns onshore and it gets messy. The rest of the period from July 16th right through to July 21st goes right back to poor conditions, with swell hanging between 2 ft and 3 ft, onshore breezes, and combined energy staying weak, barely above 40. By the end, those fresh winds hitting 19 mph will blow it out, making it more interesting for kite surfing than a paddle session.

So here’s the long and short of it: there’s really just one morning that’s worth setting your alarm for – Tuesday, July 14th, early. That offshore wind is the only real highlight in a very drawn-out, flat spell. The rest is for the dogs.

Rusty.

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