Miami Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve stared at the charts for Miami and the next 16 days, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – it’s a flat, frustrating stretch for anyone wanting to get a decent wave. The overall pattern is a relentless run of onshore or cross-onshore winds and messy, weak swell with poor surf conditions flagged every single session. There are no standout days, and the first recommendation kicks off from Thursday, 10 September.

Thursday, 10 September through to Sunday, September 13, we’re looking at a solid 5ft to 6ft of swell from the ESE, but it’s short-period junk at just 7 to 8 seconds, and with a persistent 12 to 16 mph SE or ESE cross-onshore breeze, it’s just choppy, bumpy, and pretty much unsurfable. The combined wave energy is moderate (284 to 337), but that means nothing when the wind’s messing it up. This continues right through the following week, with the same story – waist-high, weak swell, and that same onshore push.

The closest we get to anything of note is Thursday, 17 September afternoon, when the period jumps to 11 seconds and the combined energy hits a moderate 505, but the swell height is still just 5ft from the ESE, and the wind is a cross-onshore 16 mph from the SE, so it’ll still be a messy affair.

Even as we push into the second week, from Monday, 21 September through to Friday, 25 September, the wind turns more directly onshore from the E, but the swell remains small (4ft to 5ft) and the period drops back to 7 to 8 seconds. While the wind is slightly lighter on a couple of mornings (9 mph), it’s still onshore, and the wave comment stays “poor surf conditions.” There’s a brief bump on Thursday, 24 September morning with a 11-second period and moderate energy of 441, but again, 5ft and onshore wind won’t deliver anything worth paddling out for.

Miami (Miami) is a beach and reef set-up, and it’s consistent, but with the swell direction coming from the ESE and the optimum being SE, we’re never getting the right angle. The water temp is sitting at 81° with a 2° anomaly, so it’s nearly two degrees warmer than normal for mid-September, which is notable – you’ll be surfing in a warm bath, if you can even find a wave worth catching.

For a beginner, the 5ft to 6ft is right at the edge of being too much, but with the terrible conditions, it’s not a learner-friendly window. Honestly, for any surfer, this is a write-off. The kite crowd might get a look-in with the consistent 12-16 mph cross-onshore wind, but for paddle surfing, I’d leave the board at home and take a walk on the beach.

Rusty.

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