Horseneck Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Horseneck Beach. Gonna be honest with ya, we’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions ahead before anything really gets going. For the first week and a half, it’s slim pickings.

The pattern starts off Wednesday, July 22nd, with a fresh cross-onshore wind and lumpy, poor surf. Swell is around 5ft-6ft from the SSW with a short period of 8-9 seconds, but the wind is just trashing it. The combined wave energy is moderate (276-436), but it’s not doing us any favors. Thursday morning, July 23rd, offers a brief glimmer – a clean-looking 4ft S swell with a 9-second period and a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the NE. The energy is moderate (230) and the surf is surfable, but it’s very ordinary. You could get a few, but don’t expect fireworks.

After that, we hit a real dry spell. From Thursday afternoon all the way through to the end of July, the swell drops off badly. We’re looking at waves under 3ft, weak energy (often under 100), and mostly cross-onshore winds. It’s a long gap of several days where the recommendation is just to leave the board at home. The best you’ll see in that stretch is a glassy morning on Thursday, July 30th, with a tiny 2ft S swell, but it’s still just surfable, not good.

The first week of August doesn’t start much better. Saturday, August 1st, shows a bit of a pulse in the afternoon – 4ft from the SSW with moderate energy (233) – but the cross-onshore wind makes it choppy and poor. That pattern repeats through Monday, August 3rd. We get a few 4ft pulses, but the wind is always against us.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout is Wednesday, August 5th. This is the one to circle on the calendar. In the morning, we’ve got an 12ft S swell with a 9-second period, but the note says it might be too big for this break. The wind is offshore from the N and it’s clean, but the energy is massive (1770). That’s for experts only. However, the afternoon is where it’s at. The swell drops to a still solid 8ft from the SSW, with a longer 11-second period. The wind is light offshore from the N, making it clean. The combined energy is very strong (1256). This is the best on offer – a proper groundswell pulse with clean conditions. The period is good for shape, and the offshore wind is a major positive. Keep in mind, with a 8ft swell, this is for experienced surfers only. The break is a sandbar, and with a longer period like 11 seconds, it should set up better than the short-period junk we’ve been seeing, but it can sometimes wall up. This is the highlight of the whole 16 days.

Thursday, August 6th, fades back to a smaller 5ft SSW swell with light cross-shore wind, but it’s marginal.

Water temp feels about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report there.

It’s a long wait, but that Wednesday, August 5th afternoon session is the one to aim for. The rest of the window is mostly a write-off, so pick your moment.

Rusty.

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