Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The only spot in the picture is Horse Trails. It’s a sandbar setup, fairly exposed to the swell, and it breaks pretty consistently. The water is running at 58°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year – you’ll want a thick wetsuit.

The forecast kicks off with a big pulse of swell on Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th, but it’s way too much. We’re talking 10ft of SW swell on Thursday morning (2847 combined energy), and it’s just too big for this break. Cross-shore winds will make it a messy, churning beast – not for the faint of heart. Friday morning sees it drop to 8ft, still solid, but the wind goes cross-offshore and clean. That’s a real window for experienced surfers only. The swell period is 13 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell, but it’s still a lot of water moving around.

The best of the best, the standout window, is Saturday the 11th morning. Swell drops to 7ft from the SSW, period 12 seconds, and we get clean conditions with light ESE cross-offshore winds. The combined energy is still a solid 1356, so there’s plenty of push. That’s your moment if you’re comfortable in overhead surf. It’s still a bit much for beginners though.

Sunday the 12th sees it drop to 5ft with morning glassy conditions, and that’s a good, clean, manageable day for a wider range of surfers. The combined energy drops to 665, so it’s feeling more friendly. Monday the 13th is even smaller, 3ft and glassy in the morning – a nice little mellow session.

The second week gets interesting again, but it’s a mixed bag. Wednesday the 15th has a tiny 3ft glassy morning, but a late afternoon pulse of 6ft WSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. That’s a lot of energy for a small height, meaning clean, lined-up waves but very long waits between sets. Thursday the 16th jumps up to 8ft from the WSW, but it’s a bit lumpy with cross-on wind. The big story is the following week, from Sunday the 19th onwards. The swell really cranks up again, with 12ft to 16ft swell from the west and southwest, combined energy readings hitting over 8000. It’s massive, powerful, and for the vast majority of the time, it’s just too big for Horse Trails. The winds are often clean, but the sheer size will be a problem for all but the most elite crew. It’s a week of watching the horizon and picking your moment carefully.

The bottom line: Saturday the 11th morning is your best bet for a solid, clean, powerful session. Sunday the 12th is a good, clean, medium-sized day. After that, it’s either too small, too big, or too messy until the next big clean swell window, which is likely to be too big for most.

Rusty.

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