Oswald State Park/Short Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got coming down the pipe for Oswald State Park/Short Sands.

Honestly, for the next 16 days, it’s a tough stretch. We’re looking at almost two full weeks of messy conditions. The first proper swell of any decent size doesn’t show up until Friday, August 7th, and even then the wind is gonna be a problem. That’s a long dry spell to sit through.

From now through the first week of August, the wave energy is generally moderate, bouncing around a combined energy of 157 to 752. The swell is tiny to small – we’re talking 1 ft to 5 ft – with a short period, mostly around 7 to 8 seconds. The real killer is the wind. It’s persistently cross or cross-onshore, with speeds from 6 mph up to a fresh 19 mph. That’s going to keep the surface lumpy and chopped up. The wave comment is consistently poor or marginal; nothing is set up for a clean surf. A spot like this, exposed to the SW, is pretty much at the mercy of it all.

The one small window that almost looks like something is on Sunday, July 26th. We get a 3 ft to 3 ft SW swell, with a period that’s getting a bit longer at 19-20 seconds. The wind is still cross, but it’s lighter in the afternoon – a gentle breeze. It’s still only a marginal call, but it’s the best of a very poor bunch.

Then, after a long, bleak week of poor surf right through to August 6th, things finally change. Beginning on Friday, August 7th, the swell lifts. We see 6 ft from the WNW on Friday morning, with a period picking up to 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 449 – finally some power in the water. The swell hits a peak on Saturday, August 8th, with 5 ft from the NW, and energy up at 484. But here’s the sting in the tail: the wind stays cross-onshore, and the wave comment is still poor. For a long-period groundswell like that – those 20-second period waves earlier in the run were a sign of the same energy – it’s going to break straight and choppy. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The crowds might show, but it’s not going to be clean work for a surfer.

So, to sum it up: a blank run for most of the period. The only faint glimmer is a marginal Sunday morning, July 26th. The bigger swell from August 7th onwards has the size but will struggle with the wind. If you absolutely have to get wet, the later period has the power, but you’re fighting a losing battle.

- Rusty

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