Nantasket Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: Nantasket Beach is looking at a pretty quiet stretch through the next 16 days. The forecast is flat for the most part, with no real standouts to get excited about. We’re looking at a long run of small, weak surf with just a tiny blip of energy around Thursday, September 3rd. Even then, it’s not going to be anything special.

Overall Pattern

Right from the start, we’ve got minimal swell. The first recommendation comes on Sunday, August 30th, but it’s not worth paddling out for. The waves are tiny at 0.7 ft, coming from the ESE. The wind is a cross-offshore, which keeps the surface clean, but there’s no energy to work with – the combined swell energy is a measly 9. It’s just not doing anything.

Monday, August 31st, is even smaller. The morning is glassy but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft from the SE. The afternoon goes from bad to worse with a 12 mph cross-onshore wind blowing it all out. Tuesday, September 1st, stays poor. The morning has a light cross-onshore, and the afternoon brings a bit of long-period energy (13 seconds) from the east, but it’s only 0.3 ft with a combined energy of 7. That long period with no height just means you’ll see a few slow, fat bumps. Not surfable.

We get a bit of a bump on Wednesday, September 2nd, with the swell creeping up to 2 ft from the ESE, but it’s onshore wind and the combined energy is only 26. It’s still messy and weak.

The Only Real Window: Thursday, September 3rd

Now, Thursday morning, September 3rd, is the best of a bad lot. The swell is the biggest we’ll see, at 4 ft from the SE. The combined energy finally hits a moderate 130, so there’s some actual power in the water. The wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, which should keep the surface fairly clean. The period is short at 6 seconds, so it’s windswell, not a clean groundswell. It’s surfable, but “very ordinary” is the honest call. The water temperature is about 69°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – about 2°F above the norm. So, it’s pleasant, but the waves aren’t going to blow your mind. The afternoon drops off fast, back to 2 ft and weaker.

The Gap and the Rest

After that Thursday morning, it’s back to the doldrums. From Friday, September 4th, all the way through to Monday, September 14th, the swell is tiny, mostly between 0.3 ft and 2 ft, with combined energy rarely breaking 30. The winds are a mix of cross-off, cross, and onshore, but the surf is so small it doesn’t really matter. The good news is that Nantasket Beach is a consistent spot, so this blank run is a bit of a bummer, but it’s not unheard of. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, don’t bother.

Summary

The standout moment is the morning of Thursday, September 3rd. That’s your only realistic shot at catching a wave that’s over three feet, and with clean-ish conditions. Everything else is flat, weak, and not worth the drive. Hang the board up for a bit.

Rusty.

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