92nd Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – I’ve looked at the 92nd Street stretch for the next couple of weeks, and the news ain’t great. We’re looking at a long, dry spell of tiny, weak waves with dodgy wind. The water is running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, coming in at 75°, but that’s about the only thing that’s slightly above average here.

The first record we’ve got is for Friday morning, August 7th. We’re talking a tiny 2ft SSE swell, with a short period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy is a measly 29 – that’s weak. The wind is a light cross-shore, but the conditions are already called poor. It’s a tough start. The afternoon doesn’t get any better; the swell barely bumps up to 3ft, but the period drops to just 4 seconds, and the wind swings onshore from the SSE. You’d be better off staying on the sand.

Saturday, August 8th, and Sunday, August 9th, are more of the same. The swell height sits around 2ft to 3ft from the south, with periods stuck at 6-7 seconds. The combined energy on Sunday morning hits a high of 92, which is still weak. The only bright spot in the whole first week is a few clean windows with light cross-offshore winds – like Tuesday morning, August 11th, or Wednesday, August 12th. But even then, the swell is only 1ft to 2ft. It’s a knee-high affair at best. The surf is just not there.

We roll into the second week, and it’s a bleak run. From August 14th through to the 22nd, there’s barely a ripple. The swell heights are consistently 1ft to 2ft, with periods bouncing between 3 and 10 seconds. The combined energy numbers are all in the teens or low 30s – that’s the definition of flat. The winds are a mixed bag of onshore and cross-offshore, but it doesn’t matter when there’s nothing to push.

The only glimmer of hope shows up on Monday morning, August 17th. The report finally admits we have “surfable waves.” It’s still only 2ft from the south, but the wind is a moderate offshore from the NNW, and the water is clean. (combined energy: 41). This is our best option, but it’s barely a ripple. The following Tuesday morning, August 18th, has a glassy surface with a 1ft SE swell and a period of 9 seconds, but it’s still tiny. After that, the wind picks up again and the swell vanishes.

Honestly, for the paddle surfer, this is a write-off. The breaks just aren’t lighting up. If you’re a kiter, you’d get a laugh out of the Saturday afternoon on August 16th, with a 3ft swell and a 16 mph cross-on wind, but for a surfboard, it’s a no-go.

There’s no standout here. The best of a bad bunch is Monday morning, August 17th, with that clean offshore wind. But don’t expect much more than a little ankle-snatcher. The rest of the 16 days is a blank run, and for this area, that’s unfortunately pretty normal when the swell windows don’t line up.

Rusty.

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