Horace Caldwell Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days are a tough watch for any real surf at Horace Caldwell Pier. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly weak, short-period windswell with onshore or cross-onshore wind messing things up. There’s a little flicker of hope way out there, but you’ll need patience.

We kick off on Friday the 11th with small 3ft swell from the SSE at a short 5 seconds, and a solid 19 mph south wind making things lumpy. It’s basically a no-go. The combined wave energy is weak, barely hitting 47. That same story runs right through the weekend and into the next week – swell stays between 2ft and 4ft, period never gets past 6 seconds, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. Morning and afternoon sessions look similar: poor surf conditions across the board.

Around Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th, there’s a chance of a thunderstorm, but the swell is still tiny and choppy. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

Now, there is a slight change on Friday the 18th. Swell bumps up to 5ft from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 191, which is the most we’ll see. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is onshore all day. The waves will be there, but they’ll be messy and hard to ride.

The best bet for a surf in this whole outlook comes early on Saturday the 19th. The morning sees a light west wind, which is cross-offshore, keeping the surface clean. Swell is 3ft from the ESE at 7 seconds, energy is 79. The note says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – it’s not pumping, but it’s the cleanest window of the whole forecast. For a beginner spot, that’s your chance. Afternoon goes back onshore and it’s back to square one.

From Sunday the 20th onward, we’re into a real dry spell. Swell drops to 2ft or less, wind is all over the place, and energy readings bottom out in the 20s and 30s. There are a few clean mornings with light offshore or cross-offshore winds (like Monday the 21st, Tuesday the 22nd, and Wednesday the 23rd), but the swell is just too small – 1ft to 3ft – to do anything with.

The very end of the forecast, around Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th, shows some 4ft to 4ft ESE swell with clean morning conditions and moderate energy, but the period is still short at 5 to 6 seconds. It might be worth a look if you’re desperate, but it’s nothing to get excited about.

Water temperature is sitting at 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year – just another thing making the air feel heavy and the surf lack punch.

In short: this is a bad run. If you absolutely have to get wet, set your alarm for Saturday morning the 19th of September. That’s the most rideable the pier will be. For the rest, save your energy and wait for a better swell.

Rusty.

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