Galveston Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up around here.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the surf situation right now and for the foreseeable future is pretty grim. We're looking at a long, flat run with nothing worth paddling out for. The whole 16-day window is a write-off for any decent wave riding.

We kick off on Thursday the 13th of August, and it’s a tough start. At Galveston, we’ve got a weak, short-period windswell coming from the SSE. The swell height is only around 2ft to 3ft, with a period of just 5 seconds, and the energy is pitiful, sitting at 28. To make matters worse, the wind is howling from the south at 16 mph, putting it either cross-on or directly onshore. It’s choppy, messy, and just poor surf conditions.

This pattern doesn't let up. Through Friday the 14th and into the weekend, the swell stays pathetic—around 2ft to 3ft—with that same short period, feeble energy (24 to 39), and winds that continue to blow onshore or cross-onshore. The best we see is Sunday morning the 16th with a light cross-shore breeze, but the swell is down to 1ft. You’d be bobbing around on a lake.

Moving into the next week, it doesn’t get any better. Monday the 17th gives us a tiny glimmer with clean conditions as light west winds go cross-offshore in the morning, but that swell is a mere 1ft with 11 energy. It’s glassy, sure, but there’s nothing to surf. By Tuesday the 18th, we get a weird spike in swell period to 10 seconds, suggesting a bit more push, but the swell height drops to 0.3ft. That’s barely a ripple. The energy is still weak at 11.

From there it’s a slow, sad decline. The rest of the week and into the following weekend is more of the same: tiny swells (0.3ft to 2ft), short periods between 4 and 5 seconds, and combined energy that never even hits 20. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping everything chopped up. There is a single moment of glory on Sunday the 23rd of August when the morning turns glassy with calm winds, but that swell is a pathetic 1ft with 14 energy. You could get a nice reflection of the sky, but not a ride.

We see a similar one-off on Friday the 28th of August, with another glassy morning thanks to a light northwesterly. The swell is a touch bigger at 2ft, with energy at 17, but the period is a short 4 seconds. It’s clean, but it's still too small and weak to do anything with on a surfboard.

Honestly, for the next 16 days, this stretch of coast is a write-off for surfing. The break itself is described as inconsistent and for beginners, and this blank run is a pretty normal showing for the area when the conditions are this flat. It’s not going to stay like this forever—forecasts can change—but right now, there are zero recommendations to be had. If you’re desperate for some kind of water time, a kite might get you moving in the stronger winds, but for a surfboard? Forget it. Leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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