Nahant Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a hard look at what’s cookin’ for Nahant Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this is a real tough stretch. The forecast is overwhelmingly full of small, weak, and messy conditions. We’re looking at a long stretch of days where it’s just not worth paddling out. The first sign of anything with a pulse doesn’t show up until the morning of Thursday, July 30th, and even then it’s a bit of a gamble.

For the first week and a half, from Sunday, July 19th all the way through Wednesday, July 29th, the surf is a total write-off. Swell heights barely tickle 2 ft, periods are all over the place but mostly short and weak, and the combined energy values are pathetic – you’re looking at single and low double-digit numbers (9 to 62). The wind is mostly cross-onshore or just plain wrong, keeping things choppy and unsurfable. There’s a little glimmer on Wednesday morning, July 22nd, with a clean offshore wind and a 2 ft swell, but it’s still just ordinary, weak stuff. Thursday morning, July 23rd, is glassy with a 2 ft swell, but again, it’s too small to get excited about. This is a flat spell, plain and simple.

The first real chance of something interesting arrives on Thursday, July 30th. The morning shows a 6 ft swell from the east with a period of 7 seconds, and a combined energy of 358. That’s a solid pulse of moderate energy, but the wind is light cross-shore, and the wave comment says “marginal.” The afternoon gets bigger, bumping up to 7 ft from the east, and energy hits 434, but it’s paired with a risk of thunderstorms and a gentler cross-shore wind. This is getting too big for beginners, and it’s borderline messy. The real standout, and the one day I’d actually point my board at, is Friday, July 31st. The morning offers a 5 ft east swell, a period of 8 seconds, with a light cross-offshore wind from the southwest. The energy is 235 – moderate – and the forecast says to expect good conditions. This is your best window. The swell is a bit much for a total beginner, but it’s a proper size for a fun session. The afternoon holds onto 4 ft with clean cross-offshore winds, so the whole day looks decent.

After that, it drops off again. Saturday, August 1st, is back to small 2 ft waves, though the glassy conditions in the afternoon are a nice touch for a longboard or a foiler. Sunday, August 2nd, and Monday, August 3rd, have clean offshore winds but tiny swell in the 2 ft to 4 ft range and very weak energy (32 to 86). It’s surfable, but it’s pretty ordinary.

So here’s the bottom line: don’t even bother for the first ten days. The only real standout is Friday, July 31st. That’s your day. Get up early for a clean 5 ft east swell with light offshore winds. It’s not a monster, but it’s the best we’re gonna get in this whole window. The water temperature is sitting at 65°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you might want a slightly thicker suit.

This is Rusty, signing off. Keep your eyes on the horizon, but don’t hold your breath for the next week.

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