Royal Palms State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get this straight. I've looked at the next couple of weeks for the Royal Palms stretch, and I won't sugarcoat it: it's looking pretty bleak out there. The models are showing a whole lot of nothing for the foreseeable future. We’ve got a solid 16-day window with not a single session that’s worth getting too worked up about. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the whole lineup is going to be a mess of small, crumbly waves. It’s a proper blank run, and honestly, for this spot, that’s not all that unusual. It keeps things interesting, I guess, but for now, you might be better off doing some maintenance on your boards.

We’re looking at the first real surf on the 8th of August, and it’s a letdown. The water is a balmy 72°, which is a good six and a half degrees warmer than it should be for this time of year – that’s a real anomaly, super unusual. But that’s where the good news ends. We’ve got a weak 2ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, but the energy is pathetic, sitting at 190. The wind is howling from the west at 16 mph making it cross-onshore and choppy. It’s just poor surf conditions, plain and simple. If you’re a beginner, sure, it’s small enough, but you’ll be fighting the chop and the onshores the whole time.

The next few days don’t get any better. Sunday the 9th, the swell is still only 2ft, and the wind is directly on it. The energy is still low, around 198. The long period, 15 seconds, is from the SSW, but it’s not doing us any favors. Monday the 10th is more of the same, with a 2ft to 2ft SSW swell and light winds, but the energy drops off to 265. It’s still poor. As we roll into Tuesday and Wednesday, the swell stays weak, and the wind just keeps messing it up. The long-period nature of this small swell is just making it break too straight and closed-out anyway.

By the weekend of the 16th and 17th, the swell bumps up marginally to 3ft, but the energy is still moderate, and the wind is all over the place. It’s going to be lumpy and cross-onshore. There’s a moment on the 14th where the energy ticks up to 337, but the tiny 2ft swell is still being chopped up by the wind. It’s frustrating to watch.

The only thing that looks slightly interesting is the 21st of August, a Friday. The wind is forecast to be light and from the SW, directly onshore, and the swell is a 3ft from the west with a super short period of only 7 seconds. But the energy is still low. Short-period, onshore wind, and a small west swell? That’s not good for a reef and point setup like this. It’s more likely to be a stormy, messy closeout. If you’re a kitesurfer, maybe this is your window, because for us paddle surfers, it’s junk.

So, the long and short of it is: don’t bother. There is nothing here that deserves a ‘standout’ label. The best you can hope for is a clean, ankle-to-knee-high wave on a morning with a slight offshore, but the forecast isn’t even giving us that. We’ve got a long, dry spell ahead. The forecast can change, but as it stands, keep your board in the car and your expectations low. This is one of those times where the ocean is just telling us to take a break.

Rusty

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