Hollywood Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here again, and I gotta be straight with you – looking at the charts for the next two and a bit weeks, it's a pretty grim picture. We've got tiny, weak swell and the wind just won't play nice. The water is way warmer than normal for August, like bathwater.

Right now, Wednesday morning, we’ve got a little 1ft SW groundswell with a long 14-second period, but it’s weak, with a combined energy of only 90. The wind is onshore from the SW, so the surf is poor. Wednesday afternoon is more of the same: cross-onshore wind and a choppy surface. Energy is still weak (97). That’s the story for the next few days.

Thursday and most of Friday are the same deal: tiny knee-high waves, short to moderate periods, and a cross or cross-onshore breeze. Energy values are hanging around the 100-108 mark. It’s just flat and messy.

Now, Friday morning does show a spike in period to 19 seconds from the SSW, bumping the energy to 305. But the wave height is still only 2ft. That long period on a beach break like Hollywood Beach with such little height means it’s gonna be fat and straight. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it's a marginal call at best. Saturday morning is another tease: 2ft SSW swell with an 18-second period and moderate energy (308), but again, it’s cross-onshore. The waves just won’t have any shape.

The first week is a washout. Every session is either poor or marginal.

Heading into the second week, we finally see the swell heights inch up a bit, hitting about 3ft on the mornings of Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. The combined energy for that Friday afternoon (14 August) hits a strong 547 (SSW, 2ft at 18 secs). Saturday morning the 15th shows 456 with a 3ft SSW swell at 16 secs. But the problem? The wind is blowing from the west and WSW, straight onshore, especially in the afternoons when it hits 12-15 mph. The mornings are a little better with lighter breezes, but it’s still onshore.

For this entire run, there isn’t one session where the stars align. The swell is too small to fight the onshore wind chop, and when the period gets long, the height just isn’t there. If you’ve got a kite, this onshore breeze and bumpy water might look fun, but for a surfboard? This is a classic do-nothing forecast. A blank run like this is pretty common for the area when the swells are this anemic.

Keep the board in the car, and don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.

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