Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s chew the fat on what’s coming up for Royal Palms State Beach over this forecast window.

First thing you need to know: it’s a quiet run to start, and we’re in for some frustrating days before things show any real promise. The water is running 74° right now. That’s a solid 8° above what you’d expect for this time of year – remarkably warm, almost subtropical feeling.

We kick off Wednesday the 2nd with basically no surf worth paddling for. Tiny little 1ft to 2ft swells, weak energy (181 to 212 in the combined reading), and those cross-onshore breezes just mess it up. Thursday the 3rd is more of the same: knee-high dribble and poor conditions. You’d be better off staying on the beach.

Friday the 4th is still marginal. The swell bumps up just a touch – 3ft from the SSW – and there’s more energy behind it (433), but the wind is crossing up the face. Not a day to get excited about.

Now, here’s where we get a little glimmer. Saturday the 5th. Morning goes glassy – absolute butter – with a 3ft SSW swell rolling in on a 16-second period. That’s proper groundswell, long lines. Combined energy jumps to 606. Afternoon looks even better: offshore wind from the NE, 3ft from the SSE, clean conditions. It’s small, sure, but for a sheltered reef and point break like Royal Palms, that kind of smooth, long-period swell can offer up some fun little peelers. Best session of the week by a mile.

Sunday the 6th holds onto some decent surf: morning is clean, 3ft SSW. The afternoon pushes up to 4ft from the south, but gets a little lumpy with cross-shore chop. Still worth a paddle if you’re keen.

Then Monday the 7th is the standout of the whole outlook. Morning goes glassy again, and the swell jumps to 5ft from the south, with a combined energy reading of 1056 – that’s strong, meaty energy for this spot. The period is 14 seconds, so it’s well-organized groundswell. That’s proper head-high+ potential for the experienced crew. The afternoon turns messy onshore, so get your fill early.

After that, it tapers off. Tuesday the 8th is drop-and-chop, and from Wednesday the 9th onward, we slide back into a long, flat spell. The swell fades to 1ft to 2ft for the next week and a half, with persistent cross-onshore winds or onshores. Energy drops to as low as 99 by the 15th. Nothing worth chasing from the 9th through the 17th.

Bottom line: Your best window is Saturday the 5th through Monday morning the 7th. Saturday is the pick for clean, small-wave fun, and Monday morning is the one for size and power – just know that 5ft is getting into expert territory at a reef and point setup, especially if you’re not dialed into the takeoff.

This break is inconsistent and sheltered, so when it’s good, you feel lucky. When it’s not, and a lot of this window isn’t, you just wait. Crowds can show up sometimes, so on those good days, don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Rusty.

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