Hunting Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's see what we've got.

Honestly, for the next two weeks, it's looking pretty bleak around here. We're staring down a long stretch of tiny, weak swell and poor conditions that just won't let up.

Let's start with what's not happening. From now right through until the end of August, the waves are tiny. We're talking ankle to shin-high stuff, mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft, with wave energy readings barely getting into the double digits. The swell is coming in from the southeast, mostly short-period stuff around 8 or 9 seconds, which means no push and no shape.

There's a brief moment on the morning of Wednesday, 19th August where things clean up a bit. We get a glassy morning with light northerly winds and the water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 86°. But the waves are still only 2 ft with weak energy. It's surfable if you're desperate, but it's ordinary at best.

The pattern just repeats day after day. Clean mornings with light offshore winds, but no swell to go with them, then the afternoons get ruined by a strong southerly cross-breeze. That cross-shore wind just chops everything up.

We finally see a pulse of energy come in late in the window. On Wednesday afternoon, 26th August and Thursday, 27th August, the combined swell energy jumps up to 189 and 198, which is a decent sign, and the swell period extends out to 15 and 12 seconds, giving it some proper groundswell texture. But the catch? The wind is still a problem. For the morning of Thursday, 27th August, we have a southwest cross-offshore breeze and 2 ft of swell from the southeast. It's clean, but it's still small and the south wind picks up hard in the afternoon.

The one morning that might be worth a look is Friday, 28th August. That morning brings a light offshore wind from the west, and the swell holds at 2 ft from the southeast with a period of 11 seconds. Energy is at 115, so there's a bit of life in it. It's the closest thing we have to a decent window.

For beginners, this whole run is safe as houses because the swell hardly ever breaks 3 ft. But honestly, for anyone with a bit of experience, there's nothing to get excited about.

After that, the last couple of days of August look like a total write-off. The wind swings hard onshore from the northeast, gusting up to 25 mph, and the sea state becomes a messy cross-onshore chop. The swell picks up a bit to 4 ft and 4 ft, but it's short-period windswell and that onshore blast will make it a washing machine. If it weren't for the poor quality, those conditions would be more interesting for kiteboarding than paddle surfing.

So, the bottom line: there's no standout session in this 16-day window. The best you could hope for is a paddle on the morning of Friday, 28th August, but even that is a slim consolation. It's a tough run.

Rusty.

Read more