Nauset Light Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. I’ve had a good look at the charts for Nauset Light Beach, and to be straight up with you, it’s a grim stretch ahead. There's a long run of nothing on the surf front – a full 16 days of 0/10 scores for this sandbar. That means we are looking at flat, poor surf conditions for the whole window through to September 16th.

The water temp is sitting around 69° currently, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s about the only positive.

For the first few days, from Tuesday the 1st right through the weekend, we’ve got tiny bits of energy, but nothing you’d paddle out for. The swell heights barely reach 3 ft at best on Wednesday the 2nd, but it’s from the ESE with a short period of 5 seconds and choppy onshore wind. The combined swell energy is low, peaking at just 90 on that Wednesday afternoon, so weak stuff. It’s a cross-offshore wind on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th, but with swell around 2 ft to 2 ft, there’s just no power. It’s clean but pathetic.

Things get a bit more active around Sunday the 6th, with a NNE pulse bringing 4 ft sets in the morning, period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 115 (moderate energy). But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph – lumpy and ugly. This is blown-out chop, not surf. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with that wind strength and a straight beachbreak.

The middle of the week (Monday 7th to Wednesday 9th) has the same story. On Wednesday the 9th, swell reaches 5 ft from the NNW, but it’s hammered by a strong breeze at 28 mph, cross-onshore, making a complete mess. Combined energy hits 125, but the quality is garbage. Not for beginners at that size anyway, but it’s only for anyone who likes a beating.

Toward the end of the second week, from around Friday the 11th onward, the swell drops back to ankle-snappers. There is a moment on the afternoon of the 11th with a 0.3 ft swell but a long period of 11 seconds and strong offshore wind. That’s clean and offshore, but there’s no wave to ride. Hard to paddle into a ripple. By Monday the 14th, we get a strong offshore again, but again, the swell is 0.7 ft to 1 ft. It’s a tease.

So the bottom line: there is no standout, no best day, not a single session worth wetsuiting up for. It’s a total blank run. For Nauset Light Beach, this kind of dead spell is normal enough – this sandbar needs a proper east swell and clean winds to fire, and we’re just not getting that. Forecasts can always change, but right now, keep your board in the car and your expectations in the shed.

Rusty.

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