Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, crew. Rusty here. Let’s talk about Horse Trails. It’s a sandbar break that’s fairly consistent, exposed to the southwest, and it’s gonna be a wild ride over the next couple of weeks, but we have to be patient. There’s a big hole at the start with no real green lights.

The main story? The first few days, starting Thursday the 20th of August, we’ve got a massive pulse of swell – around 10ft from the southwest, with a period of 13 seconds and combined energy readings over 3400 (that’s strong to very strong energy). But the water is sitting at a chilly 55°F, which is a massive 5°F colder than usual for this time of year. That’s a serious freeze, so you’ll want a thick suit. The problem is, that swell is just too big for Horse Trails – it’s gonna be a washing machine for experts only, and even then, it’s pushing the limits. The wind is cross from the south, so it won’t be clean, and the sets will be relentless. Skip the 20th.

Friday the 21st of August morning is a different story. The swell drops to a much more manageable 7ft from the southwest, period is a solid 11 seconds (moderate groundswell), and the energy is down to 1085 (moderate). The wind shifts to a cross-off from the southeast, which will clean the waves right up. This is the real standout for the forecast – a chance at clean, well-shaped waves. It’s not a huge day, but the quality is there. Afternoon goes onshore and gets messy, so make the call early.

From there, it’s a bit of a gamble. Saturday the 22nd through to Monday the 24th sees dropping swell and tricky onshore or cross winds, making for marginal conditions. Not worth getting wet.

Then we hit a sweet spot. Tuesday the 25th of August morning brings a fresh 7ft southwest swell, with a 14-second period (long period groundswell). With a 14-second interval, these waves will have proper push and shape, but at a beach break like this, that long period can make them a bit straight. Still, the cross-off wind from the east-southeast will keep the surface clean. Combined energy is 2049 (strong), and it’s flagged for experienced surfers. This is your backup standout – if you miss Friday, aim for this. Wednesday the 26th has a similar setup with a smaller 5ft swell and clean conditions.

The end of August and start of September turns ugly again. The 27th through 31st is mostly onshore, lumpy, or just plain poor. There is a massive spike on the 2nd of September: another 10ft to 13ft pulse from the WSW with very long 14-second periods and energy readings over 4000 and 5000. Too powerful for this break. The morning of the 3rd of September is a tease – glassy conditions, but 10ft is still too big for most. The last few days of the forecast, the 4th, look like more of the same clean but too-large conditions.

So, bottom line: If you’re looking for a paddle, your best bets are the morning of Friday the 21st of August for a clean, user-friendly size, or Tuesday the 25th of August for a slightly bigger, more powerful groundswell. The rest is just waiting. The long-range stuff after that is promising but less certain, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty, signing off.

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