Horseneck Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Ah, Horseneck Beach. Let’s be honest with you right from the start: this stretch of sandbar is not lining up for anything spectacular over the next couple of weeks. If you’re looking for a reason to get wet, you’re going to have to squint hard and pick your moments, because the swell window is pretty shut. The first real glimmer of anything surfable doesn't even show up until Monday the 17th, and even then, it’s a shrug of a wave, not a celebration.

We're looking at a long stretch of small, choppy, onshore slop for the first few days. Thursday the 13th has a bit of bump in the water with a cross-on breeze and some thunderstorm risk, but at 2ft with a 3-second period, that’s not surf; that’s just wind-chop. The energy is weak at 14, and it’s all over the place. Friday and Saturday are flat-out poor, with barely a ripple. Don't even bother. That dead run from the start stretches for a solid few days before we get a pulse.

Then, on Monday the 17th, things get slightly less sad. We finally see the combined energy tick over into the triple digits at 111, and the swell bumps up to a whole 3ft from the SSW with a period of 7 seconds. The morning is the call – a light offshore NW wind will keep it clean, which is a big deal for this spot. Don't get me wrong, it’s still pretty ordinary, a score of 1 out of 10 in my book, but it's the first time you won’t be fighting a full-on washing machine. The afternoon goes cross-shore and sloppy again, so if you’re going, make it an early one.

The middle of the week is a mixed bag of nothing. Tuesday the 18th has a clean-ish morning with a cross-off breeze, but the swell drops right out. Wednesday and Thursday are plagued with onshore and cross-on winds, and the water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. The one outlier in this whole sad stretch shows up Thursday afternoon the 20th. The swell jumps to 4ft, and the combined energy spikes to 241 – the strongest we see in this whole window. But – and there’s always a but – it’s arriving with a 15 mph cross-onshore wind, which is going to shred it to pieces. It’s a case of a bit of size and power, but no form. It’ll be a messy, lumpy close-out, and probably more fun for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

We get a little teaser on Saturday the 22nd. The morning is glassy – absolutely flat calm – with a 4ft, 6-second S swell. That’s your clean window. The energy is a moddish 92, so it’s not pumping, but with the surface like a mirror, the little lines that do come through will be super fun on a log. It’s the best on offer, but that’s like saying it’s the best flavor of gruel. It’s still just a knee-to-waist high dribble. The afternoon gets a light cross-on wind and it’s gone.

The final week, from the 23rd through the 28th, is honestly just noise. It’s all sub-2ft, mostly under 2ft, and nearly every session has a cross-on or onshore wind messing it up. Periods stay short, mostly in the 6-7 second range, which means weak and walled-up. With the exception of a clean-looking morning on Wednesday the 26th with a cross-off breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 2ft. There’s just no juice in the tank.

I’ve got to tell you, it’s a bleak outlook for Horseneck. The standout is that glassy Saturday the 22nd morning – it’s the only time the place might actually look inviting. The other possible session is the Monday the 17th morning, just because it’s the first sign of life. But this is a beach break, and with this much swell energy being this weak for this long, it’s a classic summer drought. It’s not going to stay poor forever, and forecasts can change on a dime, but right now, the magic 8-ball says, "Outlook not so good." Keep the boards in the car, but maybe keep the wax in the shade.

Rusty.

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