Roads End Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down Roads End in feet and miles per hour, because that’s how we feel it.

We gotta look at a long, slow start. From Monday the 24th of August, it’s gonna be a tough grind. The water temp is a bone-chilling 50°F, which is over 10°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s unusually cold, so you’ll need a thick suit. The swell is small, around 2 to 2 feet from the SW, with a long period of 17 to 18 seconds, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, messing up the surface. The energy is moderate, ranging from 255 to 290 (moderate energy). There’s a big empty stretch here with nothing worth paddling out for. It stays junk through the first week.

We finally get a clean window on Monday the 31st of August in the morning. The wind goes glassy – dead calm. The swell is only 2 feet from the SW, but with that flat, mirror-like surface, it’s the first real chance of the whole outlook. The energy is 253 (moderate), and the period is a long 14 seconds. It’s small, but it’s clean. It won’t last, though – the wind picks up again in the afternoon.

Moving into September, we see the swell start to pick up. On Tuesday the 1st of September morning, we get 4 feet from the NW with a 10-second period. The wind is a light cross-on, and the energy jumps to 440 (moderate). Still, it’s just a so-so session.

The real highlight lands on Friday the 4th of September morning. This is the day. We’ve got a solid 7 feet of NW swell, with an 11-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is a powerful 1067 (very strong). The clincher is the wind: a light cross-offshore breeze out of the NNE at 6 mph, setting up clean, steep faces. Because it’s a beach and reef, that long-period NW swell can get a little walled, but the offshore wind will help hold it together. This wave is for experienced surfers only; 7 feet is a serious step up. Crowds are always a factor here, so you gotta hustle for a peak.

The rest of the run has some size. Saturday the 5th of September morning looks great too, with a glassy 5-foot NW swell, perfect for a fun, user-friendly session, but it lacks the power of Friday. We then see a building trend. Sunday the 7th of September morning shows a solid 8-foot NW swell with 10-second periods and light cross-on winds. The energy is a massive 1140 (very strong), but that cross-on wind takes the shine off compared to Friday’s offshore. This size is strictly for experts.

By Tuesday the 8th of September, the swell is still a chunky 8 feet from the NW with 1127 energy, with a light cross-breeze from the south. The second week definitely has the size, but the trade-off is the wind quality. The bottom line: be ready to wait through a week of nothing, but that Friday the 4th of September is your payday.

Rusty.

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