Galveston-61st Street Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, it’s Rusty here. I’ve got the long look at the Gulf for you, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: this is a pretty flat stretch we’re looking at. We’ve got a solid 16-day window on the calendar, but honestly, the surf is going to be struggling to even show its face for most of it. There are no real standouts, no days that are going to have you calling in sick. We’ve got a long gap of marginal, small stuff ahead.

The first day with anything at all is Monday, August 3rd. It’s tiny. We’re talking ankle-biters at best. The morning will see a glassy 0.3 ft from the southeast with a short period of 10 seconds. The energy is weak, reading just 9. It’s pretty, but there's nothing to ride. The afternoon picks up a touch to 0.7 ft, but with an onshore breeze, it’s not going to be pretty. The water’s sitting at 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a wetsuit, just a lot of patience.

The rest of that first week just blends together. Tuesday the 4th through Sunday the 9th, we’re stuck in that 1 ft to 2 ft range. Periods are short, mostly 4 to 6 seconds. Combined energy stays in the weak zone, mostly double digits—9, 10, 15, 24, 27—peaking a bit on the 6th and 8th, but it’s all chop. Most afternoons have a moderate onshore breeze, making it messy. The mornings are a little cleaner, but with waves that small, it’s barely a ripple. There’s a chance of a thunderstorm on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, so keep an eye on the sky, but that’s about the only excitement.

The second week doesn’t offer much of a reprieve. From the 10th through the 13th, we’re still looking at 1 ft to 3 ft. The swell direction stays somewhere between south and southeast. The period is still short, which means it’s just not going to have any push. The energy ticks up slightly, reaching 36 on the afternoon of the 13th, which is the most we’ll see, but it’s still in that weak to moderate category. The morning of the 13th has a cross-onshore breeze making it a bit choppy, but the afternoon is just onshore.

Towards the end of the window, the 14th through the 18th, we’re back down again. The swell drops to 1 ft to 2 ft. The energy falls back off to the teens and twenties. There is a brief moment on the morning of Tuesday the 18th where the wind goes light cross-offshore, cleaning things up, but the swell is only 1 ft. It’s pretty, you could maybe paddle out on a longboard, but it’s not going to be a session to write home about. Honestly, for this stretch, the water will be as flat as a lake at times. If it gets windy, and it will, this might look better for a kite than a surfboard.

So there you have it. A long, flat run. Sometimes it goes like this. The forecasts can change, and a surprise swell can pop up, but as it stands, there’s nothing on the horizon. Keep the board in the car just in case, but don’t hold your breath. This is Rusty, signing off.

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