Nauset Light Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

Look, I’m gonna be straight with you—this stretch is a tough one. We’ve got a long, flat, and pretty darn ugly run for the next week and a half or so. The surf is small, the winds are mostly junk, and it’s gonna take some serious patience before we see anything worth paddling out for.

Starting right now, Monday the 14th, it’s clean skies but the wind is howling cross-shore out of the NNW at 35 km/h, and that’s not doing us any favors. The swell is a weak 3ft at a short, crumbly 4 seconds—that’s just windslop. The combined energy is a paltry 38, so there’s nothing to work with. Tuesday and Wednesday aren’t any better, with even smaller surf and cross-onshore winds. We’re talking knee-high mush at best.

We’ve got about a five-day gap here with essentially no surf on offer. From the 18th through the 22nd, the swell barely pushes 1ft to 2ft, and even when the wind goes offshore or glassy, there’s just not enough push. It’s flat, and that’s that. The water temp is 66°, which is about average for this time of year, so the air might be warm but the ocean isn’t going to give you any favors.

Now, things start to wake up a little around the 23rd. Wednesday morning the 23rd, we get a slight bump to 4ft, but it’s short-period and cross-shore, so it’s still pretty ordinary. The energy picks up to 145, so there’s a bit more life, but the quality just isn’t there. Then Thursday the 24th, we get some real size as the swell jumps to 6ft on the ESE, but it’s accompanied by heavy rain and a 40 km/h cross-shore. The combined energy hits 510, which is moderate-to-strong, but this is a choppy, messy mess. That’s not a day for riders—that’s a day for the wind sports. Honestly, the setup looks way more interesting for kiting than paddle surfing.

Friday the 25th sees some size still, but the onshore winds kill it. The swell is 4ft with an energy of 384, but it’s lumpy and onshore. By the weekend, it fades back down, and we’re back to small, messy surf.

Now, here’s the only real glimmer in the whole run: Tuesday morning, the 29th of September. The winds go light offshore out of the WSW at just 5 km/h, and the surf comes up a touch to 3ft at 6 seconds. The energy is 89, so it’s not big, but it’s clean. That’s the standout—not because it’s big, but because it’s the only time we get offshore wind with any kind of wave. The water is still that same 66°, and the break is Nauset Light Beach, a sandbar that’s fairly consistent but exposed. It’s a beginner-friendly spot when it’s small, but this is a day for clean, small waves and glassy conditions. It’s the pick of the entire forecast, though it’s far out and a bit uncertain, so don’t book your day off just yet—but keep an eye on it.

So yeah, it’s a rough two weeks. The surf is scarce, the winds are mostly junk, and the one decent window is at the very end. Hang tight, wait for that Tuesday glass, and otherwise find something else to do for a while.

Rusty.

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