Nauset Light Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real about what’s coming for Nauset Light Beach. I’ve looked at the whole 16-day run, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a tough stretch. There’s nothing in the first week that gets the heart pumping, and the longer range isn't exactly screaming "road trip," either.

The Overall Picture
We're looking at a long, drawn-out run of tiny, weak surf. The swell energy is mostly pathetic, with readings barely crawling into double digits for most of the period. There is a bump of energy around Wednesday, July 8th, with combined energy hitting 440, but the wind is a mess—cross-onshore from the NE—making it lumpy and poor. After that, it flat-lines again. Honestly, for the first ten days or so, the only board worth bringing is a longboard, and even then, you’ll be fighting for knee-high slop.

Walking Through It
Starting Monday, July 6th, it’s just 0.7 ft of weak, short-period ESE swell with a light cross-on breeze. Water temp is sitting at 68 °F, which is a full 4 °F warmer than usual for this time of year—makes for a nice chance to wet a line, but not a surf.

Tuesday the 7th gets a bit of a push with 5 ft to 5 ft swell, but it’s from the east with a shocking 25 mph onshore wind. That’s a washing machine. Not surfable.

Wednesday the 8th sees the biggest energy of the whole run (440 combined), with 5 ft swell. However, the NE wind at 19 mph is cross-on, making it lumpy as hell. The morning is blown out, and the afternoon drops to 3 ft but stays cross-onshore. This is a beach break, so that wind is just going to chop everything to pieces. For the experienced crew, it might look like a more interesting day for a kite than a paddle.

Thursday the 9th finally shows some clean faces, with a fresh offshore wind from the SW. But the swell has dropped to 2 ft and 2 ft. It’s clean, but tiny.

Friday the 10th morning is clean with a cross-off breeze on 1.0 ft, and the afternoon turns glassy—flat as a pancake at 0.7 ft. At least it’s pretty.

From Saturday the 11th all the way through to the end of the outlook (up to July 21st), there is no break in the flatness. We’re talking day after day of swells under 2 ft, mostly with onshore or cross-shore winds. The combined energy for most of these days is below 50—weak, weak, weak. The best you can hope for is a glassy morning on July 17th, but with the swell at 1.0 ft, you’d be waiting for a set that never comes.

The Verdict
There are no standouts here. None. The best "surf" on offer is Thursday morning, July 9th, with that 2 ft ESE swell and a fresh offshore wind from the SW (19 mph). It’ll be clean, but it’s ankle-to-knee high. For a beginner at Nauset Light Beach, it’s safe and small, but don't expect a ride. If you're an expert, you’d need a wave at least over 8 ft, and we never get close to that.

Don’t hold your breath. This kind of blank run is normal for the area in these conditions. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a write-off. Keep the board in the car, but maybe just go for a swim.

- Rusty

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