Middles/Generals Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the charts for our little patch of coast. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this 16-day stretch is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with nothing but poor surf conditions for days on end. The only break that showed up in the forecast is Middles/Generals, and it’s a pretty bleak picture.

The overall pattern is dominated by messy, cross-shore winds – mainly from the ENE and NE – that are just chewing up the surface. The water temp is sitting at 81°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so the ocean isn’t doing anything weird. The first real action doesn't even come until Saturday the 19th of September, and even then it’s a marginal call. We’ve got a solid eight or nine days of nothing good before that.

For the first week, from Saturday the 12th right through to Friday the 18th of September, it’s all 'poor surf conditions' with scores of 0. The swell is all over the shop – from tiny 1ft to a bigger 7ft, but it doesn’t matter because the wind is consistently cross or cross-on, blowing at 12–25 mph, making everything a choppy, lumpy mess. The energy is moderate at best, with figures like 202 early on, jumping to 1277 by Friday the 18th, but the wind just kills it.

Then, on Saturday the 19th of September, we get a little glimmer. This is the only window that’s even worth mentioning. The swell drops to 3ft, coming from the SSW with a long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wave energy is still strong at 844. The morning has some clouds and a light breeze from the east at 6 mph. It’s cross-on, so not perfect, but it’s the cleanest we’re going to see. It’s rated as 'marginal' with a score of 2. For a spot that is fairly consistent, this is a real letdown. The crowds here are often, so you won't be alone.

After that brief window, it goes straight back into the doldrums. Sunday the 20th through to Sunday the 27th of September is just more of the same: poor conditions, fresh cross-shore winds, and swell that’s either too big and messy or too small and weak. The energy stays strong, hitting 1277 again on the 18th and staying in the hundreds and thousands, but with winds never letting up, it's just not for us. For a break exposed to the east like Middles/Generals, this setup is better suited for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the pick of a very bad bunch is Saturday the 19th of September, early. Don’t get your hopes up, but it’s the only time you might get a half-decent wave.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

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