Galveston Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at a stretch that’s gonna test your patience. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and sad for the Galveston area. We’ve got a long gap of nothing worthwhile on the table, and I mean nothing. The first decent chance to even think about paddling out doesn’t show up until Thursday morning, August 6th.

Before that, from July 25th all the way through August 5th, it’s a whole lot of small, weak, choppy crap. Swell heights are mostly under 2ft, with periods around 4 to 5 seconds—that’s just wind slop. The wind is either onshore or cross-onshore most of the time, making it a choppy, blown-out mess. The combined wave energy barely cracks 20 or 30 (mostly double-digit weak stuff), so there’s just no power in the water. Not worth your time, honestly. For a breakwater spot like Galveston, this is a pretty normal dead run.

Now, let’s talk about the one small window that might be worth a look. It’s the morning of Thursday, August 6th. We’ve got a little bump of swell coming in from the SSE at about 3ft, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy hits 61 (moderate), which is the best we see in the whole 16 days. The wind is light from the west, giving us a clean, cross-offshore breeze. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and that’s about right. It’s not a standout by any means, but it’s the only time the wind is actually friendly and the swell is just barely enough to play on. The water temp is around 86°, which is about normal for the time of year.

But here’s the kicker: this is a breakwater break, and it’s inconsistent. It rarely picks up anything decent, and even when it does, the crowds are sometimes around. For a beginner, those 3ft waves are fine, but don’t expect anything with power. The swell direction is SSE, which is close to the optimum SE direction, so that’s a small plus. Still, this is a “maybe” session, not a “must-go.”

After the 6th, Friday the 7th has a clean morning but the swell drops to about 2ft, and then it’s back to tiny, onshore trash for the rest of the forecast. Sunday the 9th shows a little bump of about 3ft from the SE, but the wind is onshore, so it’ll be a messy closeout.

Bottom line: hang tight, wait for that Thursday morning on August 6th, and take the scraps. Otherwise, this is a blank run for a week and a half. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s not looking good.

Rusty.

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