Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

We're stuck on Horse Trails for the whole forecast. The first few days are a bust, but there's a real sweet spot coming up. The water is *much colder than normal* for this time of year, sitting at 53°F – that's a solid 7°F below average, so you'll want a thick wetsuit.

The first real chance is on Tuesday, September 8th in the morning. It's glassy, with a light northerly breeze, and a clean 3ft swell from the WSW. The wave energy is moderate (476), and the period is a solid 12 seconds. It's a short window, though – by the afternoon the wind swings southerly and chops it up.

Wednesday the 9th is a washout with cross-onshore winds all day. Thursday the 10th sees a big jump in size – 8ft from the SW – but the wind is cross and the conditions are choppy. That 8ft is getting into the zone where it's a bit much for beginners, but the real issue is the quality.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are a mixed bag. The mornings offer some clean, cross-off wind and decent chest-to-head-high swell (6ft to 6ft) from the SW, with strong wave energy (1435 and 1793). The periods are in the 12 to 14-second range, which is good for shape. The afternoons get blown out by strong southerly winds.

Here's the standout. The best bet of the whole outlook is the morning of Sunday, September 13th. We've got a clean, 6ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, light NNE cross-off winds, and the wave energy is pumping (1437). The wind will be light and the conditions will be clean. For an intermediate surfer, this is the session to aim for. The break is "fairly consistent" and "fairly exposed" to the SW, which is the optimum direction, so it should be working well. Keep in mind, crowds are "sometimes" a problem, so get there early.

The following week is a bit of a wildcard. Through the 14th and 15th, the wind picks up, but there are some odd, long-period swells. The morning of Tuesday the 15th sees a 4ft swell with a crazy 22-second period and very strong energy (3109). That's a very long period groundswell, which can be tricky at a sandbar – it might break too straight, but it could also mean long walls if the banks are right. The wind is strong offshore from the north, so it'll be clean, but it's a weird one.

Toward the end of the window, the 18th and 19th look promising again. The morning of Friday, September 18th has a clean 8ft SW swell with a 14-second period, light ESE winds, and excellent conditions for experienced surfers. That's a big wave, solidly in the expert-only zone. Then Saturday, September 19th in the morning, it's glassy again with a 6ft SW swell and a 12-second period – very good conditions for a fun, clean session.

The final few days of the forecast get huge. The morning of Sunday, September 20th is looking at a 13ft WSW swell, with very strong wave energy (5710), but the wind is onshore from the WSW. That's too big for this spot, and the wind will ruin it anyway. The 23rd of September goes even bigger, with a 15ft SSW swell and a 17-second period, producing extreme energy (10057) – that's a massive, dangerous swell. For a sandbar like Horse Trails, that's a full-on, expert-only, or possibly even unrideable situation.

So, to wrap it up: the week of the 8th to the 14th is mostly a slog, but Sunday morning the 13th is your best window for clean, fun, manageable surf. The second week offers a couple of bigger, more powerful options for experienced surfers, particularly the morning of the 18th.

Rusty.

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