Roads End Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into what we've got lined up for Roads End.

We're kicking off the outlook with Monday the 14th of September. The water is a bit colder than normal, sitting at 56°. Glassy conditions early Monday morning with a small 4 ft swell from the WNW, but the period is short at 8 seconds, giving it a bit of a weak, disorganized feel. The combined energy is moderate (313). It’s surfable, but barely worth getting wet for given the lack of punch.

The rest of that first week is a bit of a struggle. We've got a lot of cross-shore winds and short-period NW swells in the 3 ft to 4 ft range. The conditions are marginal, with moderate cross-chop kicking up by the afternoons. Wednesday the 16th sees the swell push up a little, hitting 5 ft, but it’s still short period and the winds are messy. Thursday the 17th offers the first real glimpse of something better: 5 ft from the NW with a light onshore wind, the energy building to 500 (moderate), but it’s still a marginal call. Friday morning the 18th is the first proper standout for the week. Glassy conditions again, with a clean 5 ft NW swell (450 energy). It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean, which counts for a lot. That’s your best bet for this first stretch.

Saturday and Sunday slip back into the doldrums with smaller swell and stiff cross-shore winds. Then we hit a dead spot. From Monday the 21st into the start of the 22nd, the direction swings to the SW with a very long period of 17-18 seconds, but the height drops to just 2 ft to 2 ft. The energy jumps to 809 on the 21st, but that’s all those long-period lines wrapping in with no real size. It’s clean-ish but essentially flat for a paddle surfer. That long period on that small swell is more of a tease than anything.

Now, here’s the real standout for the entire forecast. Tuesday, the 22nd of September. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the WNW with an 11-second period, and the combined energy rockets to 1107 (strong). That is the biggest, most powerful swell of the window. Winds are cross-shore from the NNW at 9 mph, which isn't perfect, but it’s manageable. For the experienced crew, this is the day to circle. After that, the size stays decent into Wednesday and Thursday, but the winds stay cross-shore and the quality drops back to marginal.

Looking further out to the second week, there’s a pulse of clean conditions late on Sunday the 27th and into Monday the 28th. Monday morning brings glassy conditions with a small 2 ft swell from the WNW, but it’s a long-period 15-second groundswell (369 energy). It’ll be clean, but small. The best part of that second week is likely the same day with the cross-on wind, but it’s just not enough size to get excited about.

So, to wrap it up: Friday morning the 18th is your clean, easy surf for the start, but for real power and size, Tuesday the 22nd of September is the one to wait for. Get out there for that one if you can.

Rusty.

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