Pier One Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got one spot on the radar for the next couple of weeks, Pier One, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a tough watch. The forecast is a long stretch of frustration before we see a glimmer of hope.

For the first week and a half, it’s a write-off. From Wednesday, August 12, right through to the night of Saturday, August 23, we’re looking at cross-onshore winds and choppy, lumpy mess. The swell is there, but it’s junk. The wind is just ruining it. The energy is moderate to strong, with combined energy values from 168 up to a massive 2274, but it doesn’t matter with that wind direction. The swell is coming from the ENE, and the optimum for Pier One is NNE, so it’s hitting the wrong angle anyway. The period is a mix of short 7-second windswell and some longer 11-second groundswell, but it's all blown out. The water temp is about average for the time of year, but you won't care because you'll be fighting a 25 mph cross-onshore wind on the 15th. That’s not surf, that’s a survival drill.

The real standout, the only window worth circling on your calendar, comes on Sunday, August 16. The morning still has a bit of size – 12 ft – but it’s a bit big and the wind is finally swinging cross-offshore from the ESE at 12 mph. The energy is strong (2274), but the real magic is the Sunday afternoon. The swell drops to a much more manageable 8 ft from the E, the wind drops to a gentle 9 mph ESE breeze, and the conditions are described as "clean". This is the best on offer. The period is 9 seconds, so it's a solid, workable groundswell. For a reef break, this is the one. Get out there.

After that, it’s back to the grind. The wind goes cross-shore again, and the swell fades. By the end of the month, we’ve got tiny 2 ft surf with very ordinary conditions. A couple of days on the 24th and 25th have clean conditions with light offshore ESE winds, but the swell is tiny (3 ft, 9 seconds from the E) and the energy is weak (131-147). It’s surfable for a longboard on a glassy day, but nothing to write home about.

So, to sum it up: the only call is Sunday afternoon, August 16, at Pier One. That’s your window. The rest of the 16 days? A lot of sitting on the beach watching the wind.

Rusty.

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