Oswald State Park/Short Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here. Let me be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at Oswald State Park/Short Sands for the next 16 days, and honestly, the surf is mostly a no-go. The water is sitting at a very odd 53°F for this time of year, which is much colder than normal, so you’ll want a thick suit if you’re even thinking about it.

The pattern starts with nothing good on offer. From Saturday the 11th right through until the morning of Wednesday the 15th, every session is a write-off. The wind is never clean, and the swell is junky and weak. That’s a solid 4-day stretch of nothing.

The first glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Wednesday the 15th, with a brief window of offshore wind from the WNW. The swell is a small 4ft at 8 seconds from the WNW, with moderate wave energy (360). The wind is light and clean, a rare treat. But it’s a short-lived window with poor conditions overall, and the swell is fat and weak. It’s not worth getting excited about, but it’s the only time the wind is truly offshore.

The rest of the week is a mess. The wind swings cross-on or cross, and the swell is either too small, too short period, or chopped up. By Thursday the 16th, there’s a long-period 19-second swell from the W, but only 2ft – that’s a ghostly groundswell with no power. The energy is moderate (500), but it’s too small to do anything with, and the wind is cross-on.

The only real standout is the morning of Saturday the 18th. The swell picks up to 5ft from the WNW at 9 seconds. The wind is cross-shore, not great, but the energy is strong (687). It’s borderline for beginners at this size, but for a confident surfer, it’s the best we’ll see. The quality is marginal, and it won’t be a classic, but it’s the pick of a bad bunch.

After that, it’s more of the same – poor conditions, messy wind, and onshore slop. By the end of the 16 days, the swell drops right off, and the wind stays ugly. There’s nothing to chase.

Rusty.

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