Nauset Light Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it's Rusty. Let's get into it.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for our local waters is a tough one. We're looking at a long stretch of flat, messy, and generally uncooperative conditions. The first good surf doesn't show up until July 31st, and even then, it's marginal. The best that has the most going for it is Tuesday, August 4th afternoon, but that's a long way off.

Let's start with the early part. Starting Saturday, July 25th, through to the end of July, it's a whole lot of nothing. We're seeing tiny swell – 2 ft to 2 ft – with onshore winds from the east and northeast. The wave energy is weak (28–39), and the wave comment is "poor surf conditions". Honestly, it's a write-off. This poor run carries right through the week, with some heavier rain and wind kicking up on Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th, but the swell is still junky and short-period. The combined energy bumps up a bit (112–332) but it's all wind chop and cross-onshore mess. Not worth paddling out for.

Finally, we get a tiny glimmer on Friday, July 31st. The morning at Nauset Light Beach is glassy with a light NNW wind at 5 km/h. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the ESE with a 9-second period (80 energy). The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It's not going to be anything to write home about – knee-high at best – but it's clean. The afternoon looks clean too with a cross-off breeze, but the swell drops further. That's the first real option, but it's a real small, marginal one.

Then we go back into a flat spell. Saturday August 1st through Monday August 3rd is all tiny, weak swell (0.7 ft to 3 ft, energy 9–80). The wind is variable, but it's not producing any quality surf. More "poor surf conditions".

Now, the standout. Tuesday, August 4th. The afternoon is looking like the best session in the entire forecast. We get a 3 ft swell from the SSE with an 8-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 220. The wind goes glassy – a 5 km/h SE breeze that's "glass" – and the wave comment is "expect good surf conditions". The water is around 66°F, which is about normal for this time of year (anomaly -0.9°F). Nauset Light Beach is a sandbar setup, so a long period groundswell can make it close out, but at 8 seconds, it's a short-period wind swell, which can actually be fun on a beach break. The swell direction is from the SSE, which is not the ideal E direction for this spot, but at this size, it'll still wrap in. The wind is the key here – glassy conditions make everything better. This is the one to watch.

After that, from Wednesday August 5th onward, it's back to the same old story. Tiny swell (1.0 ft–3 ft), weak energy (14–60), and onshore or cross-off winds that don't produce anything worthwhile. The run goes flat through to the end of the forecast on August 9th.

So, to sum it up: a long, painful stretch of flatness, a tiny clean window on July 31st morning for the die-hards, and one real hopeful session on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 4th. That Tuesday afternoon is your best bet. It's a long way off, so keep an eye on it, but right now, that's the one.

Rusty.

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