120th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to call. You’re looking at a real dry spell here for 120th Street. The whole 16-day window is a struggle. We’ve got a solid run of days with practically nothing happening, and the one time we see a bit of size, the conditions are just not playing ball.

Let me break it down for you. The first real chance of a wave comes in on Wednesday, July 22nd, with a 5ft swell from the south, but the real problem is the wind. It’s a cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, which is okay, but the weather is risky with those thunderstorms. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 78°. The real killer is the combined energy – it’s only 342, which is weak, and the period is short at 8 seconds. It’s just not going to hold together well. The forecast gives it a low score, and honestly, I’d wait for something better.

Then we hit a massive gap. From Thursday, July 23rd, all the way through to Tuesday, July 28th, it’s a total write-off. Wind is onshore, cross-shore, or just plain messy, and the swell is tiny – between 1.0ft and 2ft. The energy levels are in the double digits, so it’s barely a ripple. The wind is either a moderate breeze or a gentle breeze, but it’s constantly from the wrong direction, making it choppy and bumpy. It’s a rough patch, and you’d be better off doing something else.

There’s a little bump on Tuesday, July 28th, in the afternoon. We get a 3ft swell from the SSE, but the period is short at 7 seconds, and the wind is a cross-on from the SE at 9 mph. The energy jumps to 109, which is still weak, but it’s the most we’ve seen. The problem is the wind is just making it a sloppy, onshore mess. It’s not a clean wave.

After that, it’s back to the same story. The rest of the first week and into the second week is a total blank. The swell barely gets above 2ft, the wind is either onshore or cross, and the energy is stuck in the low double digits. It’s a long, flat stretch. The only bright spot is a tiny window on August 1st, Saturday morning, where the wind goes glassy, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft from the SE. It’s glassy, but you’d need a paddleboard to catch anything.

The last chance is on August 6th, Thursday morning. We get a 2ft swell from the SSE with a clean offshore wind from the W at 6 mph. The period is short at 5 seconds, though, so it won’t have much push. The energy is only 29. It’s a brief moment of clean conditions, but it’s not enough to get excited about.

The bottom line is there’s no standout session here. The one time we get a bit of height (5ft), the wind and weather ruin it. The rest of the time, the swell is just too small and the wind is too messy. If you’re desperate, you could try the glassy 1ft on August 1st, but that’s a long shot. For now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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