Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab a coffee and settle in, because the next couple of weeks are gonna be a bit of a waiting game. I’m looking at the charts for this region, and honestly, the surf is looking pretty flat and messy for the foreseeable future. We’ve got a long stretch ahead with no real standouts.

Let’s start with the only spot on the menu, Royal Palms State Beach. This is a sheltered reef and point break, rated for beginners, but it’s inconsistent. Right off the bat, the water is sitting at a balmy 73°, which is a solid 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s really unusual, the ocean feels like a warm bath.

The forecast kicks off with Monday, September 14th. We’ve got a tiny 1 ft SW groundswell, a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is weak, only 96. The wind is a cross-shore SE breeze at 12 mph, so it’s going to be choppy and messy. The whole first week is like this. From the 14th right through to the 20th of September, we’re looking at swell heights barely cracking 2 ft. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore from the south and west, keeping everything crummy. The wave energy does build a bit, hitting the 300-400 range by the weekend of the 20th, but the surf quality is just poor. The long period of the swell (16-20 seconds) means those weak waves will be fat and slow at a sheltered spot like this, not really offering much shape.

Moving into the second week, from Monday, September 21st, we finally see the swell tick up a notch to 3 ft. The energy is solid, in the high 300s. Still, the direction is mostly SW with a long period, and the wind is a constant problem, flipping between onshore and cross-onshore. The waves will be there, but the wind will mess up the surface. There is a brief window on the morning of Tuesday, September 29th, where the wind goes light and cross-shore from the SE, but the swell is down to 2 ft with a 14-second period and only moderate energy (281). It’s the least bad option in the whole outlook, but it’s still a long way from a classic day.

Overall, if you’re desperate for a paddle, there’s tiny, weak surf on offer, but the wind is against us almost every day. This is one of those periods where the forecast looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a proper paddle session. Hang in there, the patterns can always shift. This is Rusty, signing off.

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