Horace Caldwell Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's be honest with ourselves. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf at Horace Caldwell Pier. We've got a whole lot of small, weak, and messy windswell on the menu, with onshore winds chopping things up for most of the run. It’s the kind of outlook where you might be better off finding something else to do than staring at a crumbly closeout.

The water temp is sitting right around 84°, which is about normal for this time of year. But honestly, with the lack of waves, you’ll just be floating around in warm bathwater.

Let's break it down. From Sunday the 9th through the weekend of the 16th, it's a wasteland. We're talking ankle-to-knee high dribble with wind coming from the southeast, east-southeast, and south-southeast. Most of it is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and lumpy. The swell energy is weak, mostly in the 16 to 116 range. There’s a brief pulse on Thursday the 13th where the energy gets to a moderate 116, but the swell height is only 4ft and the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a messy, blown-out 4ft. Not worth your time.

The following week, from the 17th through the 23rd, is more of the same. The swell drops back down, with heights mostly under 3ft. The wind stays in that southerly to southeasterly range, keeping things bumpy. There’s a touch of light wind on the morning of Sunday the 23rd, but the swell is only 3ft with a short 5-second period, so it’ll be weak and crumbly.

Now, here’s the one glimmer of hope. On Monday the 24th of August, the swell finally starts to show some life. The energy jumps up to a strong 205, with a 6ft swell from the south-southeast. The period is still short at 6 seconds, and the morning wind is a light cross-onshore, which might keep it a little cleaner. This is the only day in the whole 16-day window that has any real push to it. It’s still a far cry from perfect, but it’s the standout by a long shot. If you're desperate, that's your window. But keep your expectations in check – it's a beach and pier setup with short-period swell, so it might be more of a messy, powerful mush than a clean, rippable wave. For a beginner, 6ft is starting to get a bit much, so maybe sit this one out.

The rest of the run is a total blank. There are long stretches of several days with nothing on offer. It’s just one of those flat, frustrating spells. The forecasts can change, but right now, this is what we’re looking at.

- Rusty

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