Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good hard look at what Publics has got cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. Right off the bat, I gotta say, it's a bit of a slow burner. We've got a long stretch of blustery, cross-off winds that are gonna mess with the shape, and the swell is mostly short-period windswill that won't give you much to work with. The water temp is sitting at a warm 81°, which is about normal for the time of year.

The first real chance at something decent doesn't even show up until Thursday, August 20th. That's a solid 13-day wait with nothing but frustrating, marginal conditions. Those ENE winds will be hammering us at 16-25 mph straight through, making the 5 ft of short-period ENE swell just a messy, blown-out chore. Honestly, for the first two weeks, the setup is more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

The one true standout and the time to get excited is Thursday, August 20th, in the afternoon. The wind finally swings around to a clean, gentle offshore from the NNE, and it's gonna be glassy. The swell is 4 ft from the ENE with an 8-second period. It's small, but it'll be clean. The combined energy of all swells is moderate at 428, so nothing epic, but with those conditions, it's your best bet for a fun, uncrowded session. Crowds are always at Publics, so expect company.

Friday, August 21st, follows up nicely. The morning has a clean 5 ft ENE swell with cross-off winds, but the afternoon looks even better: a moderate offshore from the NE with 5 ft ENE swell. That's a solid little window of clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy hits 518 and 491, so there's a bit of push.

After that, Saturday, August 22nd, offers a change in character. The swell drops to 2 ft and swings to the SSW with a longer 16-second period. That's a groundswell with proper energy (491 combined), and with a gentle offshore from the NE in the afternoon, it'll be glassy again. Just remember, a long period like that can make beach breaks a bit fat, but Publics handles it well enough. The morning has some clouds but it's still clean.

To sum it up: wait it out. The first two weeks are a write-off. Mark your calendar for the 20th through the 22nd. The 20th and 21st afternoons, and the 22nd afternoon are the absolute cream of the crop.

Rusty.

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