Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's cookin' at Horse Trails.

First up, the water is sitting at 55°, which is a whopping 5° colder than what's normal for this time of year. That's a real teeth-chatterer, so don't forget the thickest rubber you've got if you're paddling out here.

Right off the bat, we've got a massive pulse of energy rolling in for Wednesday morning. We're looking at a solid 10 ft swell from the southwest, packing a serious punch with a combined energy reading of 3169. That's a lot of juice. But here's the thing – it's predicted to be too big for this break. The cross-on wind from the south at 6 mph isn't helping much either. It's a setup that's more suited for the big-wave crew or maybe even kite surfers than a standard paddle session. The afternoon cleans up a bit in size to 8 ft, but the wind shifts to a stronger 9 mph cross-on from the south-southwest, making it choppy and messy.

The standout session, and the one I'd be circling on the calendar, is Thursday morning. We've got a clean 6 ft swell from the west-southwest, with a long period of 13 seconds, and a light cross-off breeze from the south-southeast at 6 mph. The energy is still moderate at 1129, but with that offshore wind, it's going to be glassy and lined up beautifully. This is your window for clean, fun waves.

Thursday afternoon, however, the wind cranks up to 28 mph from the southeast. That's a strong breeze, and while the swell jumps back to 10 ft, it's just too wind-affected and big for a good time here. The whole weekend is looking pretty average with strong cross-off winds and short-period, choppy swell. We get a bit of a tease on Sunday morning, the 6th, with a 6 ft southwest swell and a very long 18-second period, combined energy at 2183, and light winds. But it's a cross-off breeze, and that long period is better suited for a point or reef break than a sandbar like this – it'll be fat and hard to connect with.

There's a real dry spell from the 8th of September all the way through the 14th. The swell drops right off, with sizes under 3 ft most days, and the wind is either onshore or cross-shore. It's a proper flat spell. The morning of the 15th offers a glimmer of hope with a 5 ft west-southwest swell and light offshore winds, but it's only a 'good' session, not a classic.

The real big one, and I mean big, is brewing for the 16th and 17th. The 16th of September morning shows a 4 ft swell but with a massive 17-second period and energy of 2215. But the following afternoon? We're talking a 15 ft southwest swell with an energy reading of 10271. That's an absolute monster. And the 17th morning is still holding at 13 ft with 5694 energy. Again, it's predicted to be too big for this break, and the wind is up. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, even then, it might be just a washing machine. For the average surfer, this whole run is a write-off unless you're looking to get smashed.

So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Thursday morning, September 3rd. The morning of the 15th is a decent secondary option, but Thursday is the cleanest, most manageable swell of the whole forecast.

Stay stoked, and don't forget that hood.

Rusty.

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