Galveston - Flagship Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s break down the next 16 days for our local stretch, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough one.

We’re looking at a long, dry spell with barely a ripple to get excited about. The charts are showing nothing but tiny, weak windswell for the entire 16-day window. The combined energy of all swells directed here is mostly in the single or low double digits, hitting a weak 17 at best on the first afternoon, and often dropping to a pathetic 9 or 8. That’s about as weak as it gets.

The first real chance to even get wet doesn’t appear until Monday, August 3rd, and even then, it’s a struggle. The morning session at Galveston - Flagship Pier shows a 3 ft SSW swell, but with a short period of just 6 seconds. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean. The guidance says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," and that’s the best we’re gonna get. The water temp is reading 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. That morning is the only time in the whole 16 days that gets a score worth mentioning, but it’s still a far cry from good.

After that Monday morning window, it’s back to the doldrums. The rest of the week and into the second week sees nothing but tiny, choppy, onshore junk. Winds are predominantly from the S or SSE, blowing cross-on or onshore, making a mess of the already puny waves. The swell never gets above 3 ft and the period is consistently short, between 4 and 6 seconds. This is pure windswell, all chop and no power.

Honestly, for the next two weeks, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s just no energy to work with. If you absolutely have to get in the water, your best and only real shot is the clean, offshore morning on Monday, August 3rd. But keep the expectations on the floor. It’s a blank run, plain and simple.

Rusty.

Read more