Portwrinkle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, so I’m looking at the charts for Portwrinkle, and I gotta be straight with you – this run is a tough one. Usually, this spot can fire, but over the next 16 days, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing. There’s no proper swell to speak of, and the best thing I can tell you is to maybe leave the board in the car for a couple of weeks.

Right from the start, Sunday the 9th of August, it’s barely a ripple. We’re talking 0.3 ft swell from the SW, with a long 12-second period, but the combined energy is just 9 – that’s whisper-weak. The water is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal, but that’s the only notable thing. Wind is cross-off in the morning (WNW at 6 mph) and turns cross in the afternoon. Clean looking, but no push behind it.

Through Monday and Tuesday, the swell bumps to 1 ft, still tiny. Combined energy climbs to 18 Monday morning, but the period drops to 6 seconds – that’s short-period, weak wind swell. Wind is cross-off Monday morning from the NNW, but Tuesday gets a stronger ESE breeze that turns cross-on. It’s not surfable.

Wednesday the 12th shows a tiny 1 ft swell from the WSW, period up to 10 seconds, and energy at 44. That’s a little more going on, but still not enough to ride. Clean-ish conditions, but you’re just floating around.

Thursday the 13th of August is the closest we get to something. Swell stays small (2 ft), but we’ve got a NNW wind at 12 mph blowing offshore in the morning, giving you clean faces. Combined energy at 48. Still too gutless to really surf, but if you’re desperate, you might catch a foam ball.

The afternoon of Saturday the 15th is almost a tease – glassy conditions with the wind dropping to 3 mph from the SW, and the swell at 2 ft from the WSW, period 8 seconds. The energy nudges up to 48. It’s clean and glassy, but still too small.

From the 17th onward, we’re back to flatness. Long-period 18-second pulses show up on the 17th and 18th, but with 0.3 ft to 0.7 ft swell height, it’s just a lake. The glassy mornings on the 18th, 19th, and 20th are a great sign for clarity, but without swell, it’s nothing.

The tail end of the forecast, starting around the 23rd of August, we see a bump in wind – strong breezes and near gale from the NW on Sunday the 23rd. Swell only hits 0.7 ft from the SSW with a 14-second period, combined energy at 27. It’s just a windy, messy, tiny bounce. Not worth changing plans for.

Honestly, Portwrinkle is an inconsistent reef, and this 16-day outlook shows exactly why. It’s not that the surf is poor quality – there’s simply no surf. No standout options, no realistic session. If you’re a kiter, the stronger winds toward the end might be interesting, but for a surfer? It’s a long blank run. Forecasts change, but right now this is a solid “leave the board at home” stretch.

Rusty.

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