Galveston Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, looking at the same forecast but in feet and miles per hour. The bottom line is the same: Galveston is looking flat and poor for the next 16 days. There’s no real surf to get excited about.

The first bit of swell shows up Thursday, July 16th, with the afternoon clear and a 20 mph onshore wind from the SSE. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the SSE, with a period of 5 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 23. That’s poor, choppy surf. Water temp is 86°F, about 1°F warmer than average, so nothing wild.

Friday the 17th is more of the same: a 15 mph cross-onshore wind from the S, with 2 ft swell from the SSE, still 5 seconds. Energy is 23. It’s choppy and small. The rest of the week through the 19th stays tiny, with the swell dropping to 1 ft and the wind shifting to light cross-shore. The morning of the 19th is clean with a 10 mph cross-shore breeze from the SW, but the swell is only 1 ft from the SE, period 6 seconds, energy 11. It’s too small to ride.

Monday the 20th morning sees a light cross-offshore wind from the WNW at 10 mph, making it glassy clean. The swell is a pathetic 1 ft from the SSW, period 4 seconds, energy 7. Clean but flat. This pattern of clean, tiny mornings holds through Wednesday the 22nd, with the swell from the SSW and period 3-4 seconds, energy 6 or less. Afternoons are all onshore and flat.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are clean in the mornings again, but the swell is barely 0.3 ft from the SE, with periods of 8-9 seconds. Energy is 3-5. It’s flat.

There’s a long gap of several days with no real surf. The best day looks like Saturday the 25th. The morning has a fresh 30 mph cross-offshore wind from the NE, making it clean. The swell is 1 ft from the E, period 4 seconds, energy 2. Still too small. The afternoon has a gentle 15 mph cross-shore from the ENE, with 2 ft from the E, period 4 seconds, energy 8. Slight chop, but still not rideable.

Sunday the 26th afternoon is the only moment of glass—a 5 mph glassy wind from the ENE, with a 0.3 ft swell from the SE, period 8 seconds, energy 4. That’s flat, but glassy.

Monday the 27th morning has a risk of thunderstorms and a light offshore wind from the NNW at 10 mph. The swell is 2 ft from the SSW, period 4 seconds, energy 18. It’s clean, but the period is so short it’s wind slop. The rest of the week through the 31st is all onshore wind from the SSE or S, with tiny 2 ft to 2 ft swells, periods 4-5 seconds, and energy in the teens or low twenties. The 31st afternoon sees the energy bump to 47 with a 2 ft SE swell, but it’s still onshore and poor.

The only possible clean window is the morning of the 27th with that light offshore wind, but the swell is too short and weak. There’s no standout. This is a normal summer flat spell for Galveston, and it’s just one of those stretches where you don’t even bother waxing up.

Rusty.

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