Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. This is a tough one for the next couple of weeks at Royal Palms State Beach.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the start of this outlook is a write-off. There’s nothing worth paddling out for from Wednesday, September 2nd all the way through Saturday, September 5th. The swell is tiny, coming in at 1ft to 3ft from the SW, and the wind is a frustrating cross-onshore, messing up what little texture there is. The water is sitting at a very unusual 74°F here, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing going for it. The combined energy is weak, sitting between 181 and 631, and the reports are all "poor surf conditions." It’s a long stretch of flatness.

We finally get a little glimmer of hope on Sunday, September 6th. The morning session is the standout. Winds go glassy, which is a rare treat, and we get a 4ft swell from the S with a solid 15-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, and with the reef setup at Royal Palms, that long period should wrap in nicely. The combined energy is moderate at 538, and the forecast says "expect good surf conditions." This is the one to aim for. The afternoon picks up a bit to 4ft, but the wind switches onshore, making it less clean. This is a shallow reef and point, so with that long period, it won’t be dumping too heavy, but it’ll have some nice lines for the longboard or a fun mid-length.

After that, it gets messy again. The rest of the first week and into the second week sees a mix of small SW swell (1ft to 4ft) but with persistent cross-onshore wind from the W. Monday morning, September 7th, has a chance with 3ft, but the wind is already cross-on. The real energy spike comes on Friday, September 11th, with a 6ft swell from the W, but the period is a short, junky 7 seconds. That’s windswell, and with 12 mph cross-onshore winds, it’s going to be a choppy, blown-out mess. The combined energy is moderate at 669, but it’s not worth it for paddle surfing – that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The final week (September 12th to 17th) is a slow fade. The swell drops back to 1.0ft to 2ft, and the wind remains a problem. There’s a long-period 24-second swell on the afternoon of the 16th, but it’s only 1.0ft – not enough to push through the chop. The energy reading is weak, mostly under 200. The reports are all "poor surf conditions."

So here’s the bottom line: the only real standout is Sunday morning, September 6th. Glassy winds, a clean 4ft S swell, and a long 15-second period making the most of the reef. If you’ve got a window, that’s your best bet. The rest of the 16 days is a bust.

Rusty.

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