92nd Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s be straight with you, mate. This 16-day window for 92nd Street (Rockaway) is a pretty grim run. There’s just no real swell to speak of, and when there is a tiny bump, the wind or the conditions are against it. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, mushy waves with poor quality, and the best you can say is that a few mornings might be clean.

The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s nothing unusual.

Let’s walk through it. The first week is a total write-off. From Monday the 13th right through to Sunday the 19th, we’ve got tiny to no swell, and the wind is all over the shop – cross-onshore, onshore, or just messy. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 20 or 30 (units). The biggest day is Saturday the 18th afternoon with a 4ft swell from the south, but it’s a short 4-second period, onshore wind at 15 mph, and the energy is only 63 (units). That’s a blown-out, choppy mess. Not worth a paddle.

Then we hit Monday the 20th. That’s the first time you see a pulse of energy. The morning shows a 3ft SSE swell with an 8-second period, and the wind is light offshore from the north at 6 mph. The combined energy jumps to 147 (units), which is moderate. The conditions are clean. But it’s still only rated as very ordinary. Tuesday the 21st has a similar 3ft swell but with onshore winds, so it’s no good.

The only real standout in this whole outlook is Wednesday the 22nd. The morning has a glassy sea, with a 3ft SSE swell and an 8-second period. The combined energy is 103 (units), and the wind is completely calm. That’s the cleanest and most promising window. The swell is tiny, but it’s the only time you’ll get a chance at a few fun little waves without the wind messing it up. Even then, it’s only ‘very ordinary’.

After that, from the 23rd through to the 28th, it’s back to tiny, wind-affected dribble. The swell drops to 1ft to 2ft, and the wind is either onshore or cross-shore. The energy is back down in the teens or twenties (units). There’s a brief moment of glassy conditions again on the morning of Tuesday the 28th, but with a 1ft, 6-second swell, it’s barely a ripple.

So, the honest truth is: there’s nothing to get excited about here. The best of a bad bunch is the morning of Wednesday the 22nd of July. If you’re desperate for a splash, that’s your window. But for a real surf, you’re looking at a long dry spell. The forecast can always change, but right now, it’s a pretty blank run for the Rockaways.

Rusty

Read more