Narrow Neck Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Narrow Neck. I’ve been staring at the charts for this one, and honestly, it’s a long, quiet stretch. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about 1° cooler than the norm for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a touch of winter still hanging around.

Right now, through the end of August and into the first week of September, we’ve got a persistent cross-onshore flow from the SSE and SE. The swell is small, mostly around 2ft to 4ft, and the period is short – 5 to 6 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell, and the energy is weak to moderate (values between 62 and 110). The combo of small, weak swell and onshore wind means it’s choppy and lumpy. Not worth paddling out for.

There’s a bit of a silver lining on the morning of Friday, September 4th. The wind goes glassy, with a light NNW breeze, and the surf is a tiny 1ft from the east at 9 seconds. The energy is weak (43). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. It’s a beginner wave at best, and the crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have company.

The following Sunday, September 6th, we get a clean offshore from the west in the morning. Swell is still small at 3ft from the NNE, but with a short 7-second period. The energy is weak (76). It’s clean, but the wave size and quality are nothing to write home about.

Now, look ahead to the week starting Monday, September 7th. The swell picks up. Monday morning shows 4ft from the SE at 10 seconds. The energy jumps to moderate (257). But the wind is cross-shore from the NNE, which creates some ripples. It’s marginal. By Monday afternoon, the swell pushes to 5ft, but the wind gets stronger and the energy is high (432). Still, the conditions are poor – lumpy and cross-chop.

The real tease comes on Sunday, September 13th. The swell builds to 6ft from the east, with an 8-second period. The energy is strong (327). The wind is light, but it’s cross-onshore. It’s marked as marginal. The next morning, Monday the 14th, the swell holds at 6ft from the ENE, with a 7-second period and a very strong energy reading of 548. The wind is light onshore. It’s a big, raw swell for this spot, but the short period and onshore flow will make it messy. For a reef break like Narrow Neck, that’s a lot of water moving around. This is really only for experienced surfers who know the lineup, and at 6ft, it’s pushing the limits for a beginner spot.

To be honest, there’s no standout, no true winner in this 16-day window. The best you can hope for is a glassy morning on the 4th with waist-high slop, or a clean but tiny offshore on the 6th. The bigger swells in the second week are too short-period and wind-affected to be good. The break is fairly consistent, so it’s just a run of poor conditions. It won’t stay this way forever – forecasts can change – but right now, I’d leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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