Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s see what’s shaking. This is a real slow start, and the whole 16 days is pretty quiet. The first few days are a total dud – tiny, weak, and messy. There’s a tiny window mid-week where the energy picks up a little, but it’s still nothing to write home about. The best bet, if you can call it that, is the morning of the 10th of September, when we finally get a clean offshore wind. But the swell is still tiny. Let’s break it down.

Right now, on Monday the 31st of August, we’ve got a weak 1ft to 2ft ESE swell with a short 8 second period and a combined energy of just 25. Conditions are poor – cross-onshore wind and a risk of thunderstorms. Forget it. Tuesday morning the 1st of September turns glassy with a 2ft swell, but it’s still messy and weak. The ocean is basically asleep.

Wednesday the 2nd of September morning sees a slight bump – the swell pushes to 3ft from the SE, with a 10 second period and a combined energy of 154. That’s the strongest energy we’ll see for a while, but it’s still only 3ft, and the wind is cross-shore. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops back to 2ft. It’s surfable, but just barely.

Thursday the 3rd of September morning is the first time we get a “surfable” rating – a 1 out of 10. The swell is 2ft from the SE, 9 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is 65. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but honestly, it’s tiny. The afternoon goes back to poor.

From Friday the 4th right through to the end of the second week, we’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf. The swell rarely gets above 2ft, and the combined energy mostly sits in the teens to low 40s. There are a few glassy mornings – like on the 13th of September – but the swell is just too small to do anything with. The one bright spot is the morning of Thursday the 10th of September. We get a 2ft ESE swell, 9 second period, with a clean offshore wind from the west. Combined energy is 61. It’s the only time in the entire forecast that we get a proper offshore breeze and a surfable wave. It’s tiny, but it’ll be clean and workable on a longboard or a funboard.

The rest of the time, it’s either too small, too onshore, or both. From the 5th of September to the 15th of September, there’s a solid 10-day stretch of nothing worth paddling out for. A few clean mornings, but the swell just isn’t there.

So, to sum it up: Pelican Watch is not delivering much this period. The only real standout is the morning of Thursday the 10th of September – a 2ft ESE swell, clean offshore wind, and the best chance of a few rideable waves. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. Otherwise, it’s a long wait for better days.

- Rusty

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