Ormond Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Ormond Beach Pier. Honestly, I’m looking at a pretty flat and uninspiring stretch ahead, so grab a coffee and let’s be real about it.

The next week and a half is mostly a write-off. We’ve got a big gap of tiny, weak surf with lousy conditions. From Friday, September 11th right through to Monday, September 21st, it’s almost all “poor surf conditions.” The swell is tiny – we’re talking 1 ft to 2 ft max, and that’s from the ESE or E, which isn’t the preferred NE direction. The energy is weak, so you’re not paddling out for much. The water temp is 82° and about average for this time of year, but that’s about the only nice thing I can say.

There are a couple of brief windows where the wind goes glassy – Sunday morning, September 13th, and Monday morning, September 14th – with 2 ft E swell and periods around 9 seconds. That’s long enough to have a bit of shape, but the size is just not there. You’d be struggling to get a ride on a log. Even those are marked as “poor surf conditions,” so don’t get your hopes up.

The first sign of life shows up around Wednesday, September 16th. We get the swell lifting to 5 ft from the NE, but it’s short period – 7 seconds – and getting hammered by onshore wind, making it choppy and messy. The energy jumps to moderate, but the quality is still poor. This trend continues through Thursday with 4-4 ft swells, still onshore. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this mid-week bump.

Late Sunday, September 20th, it drops off again to near nothing.

Then we get a real uptick around Tuesday, September 22nd. Swell builds from the NE, hitting 5 ft by the afternoon, period stays short at 7-8 seconds. Energy is strong. Still onshore wind spoiling it. Wednesday, September 23rd sees the biggest swell of the period: 6 ft NE at 9 seconds period, with strong energy. The wind is cross-onshore and choppy though, so while there’s plenty of water moving, it ain’t pretty. This is too big for beginners, and strong onshore wind makes it a grindy, lumpy mess for anyone else. The 5 ft on Thursday morning, September 24th, is slightly cleaner with a gentler breeze, but still cross-onshore.

Honestly, if I had to point at the *one* moment that’s best on offer, it’s that Wednesday, September 23rd morning. The swell is 6 ft from NE, period 9 seconds, and while the wind is cross-onshore (N 12 mph), the raw energy is there. It’s messy, but it’s the most surf we get. The other faint glimmer is that glassy Sunday or Monday morning earlier in the period, if you’re desperate to get wet on a tiny wave.

Nothing here is a standout quality session. It’s a long, flat run with a lumpy windswell at the end. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because a blank run like this tends not to stay forever.

Rusty.

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