Rye Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin' for Rye Ocean Beach.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a big, powerful SW groundswell rolling in. This is a serious stretch of surf, but it’s not for everyone. The first few days are hammered by strong winds and a lot of water, so we’re going to have to pick our windows carefully.

The first real action kicks off Friday afternoon, September 4th. The swell is a solid 10ft from the SW with a long 16-second period, packing a massive punch (combined energy of 5081). The wind is cross-off from the NNW, which is a good sign for shape, but look, at 10ft, this is big and powerful. It’s a clean, heavy wave, but beginners need to sit this one out. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

Saturday morning, September 5th, is a tough call. The swell drops slightly to 8ft, but the wind howls up to 28 mph from the NNW. The wave faces are still clean, but that’s a lot of wind to deal with. It’s a grind, not a glide. The afternoon goes totally sideways with a strong cross-onshore wind, turning it into a washing machine. Forget it.

Sunday, September 6th, is a write-off. Strong onshore wind from the SW just makes a mess of the 8ft swell. Don’t bother.

The tides and wind finally give us a break on Tuesday morning, September 8th. The swell is down to 4ft, but the wind goes light and variable from the NW. The energy is still there (1846), but it’s a bit of a gamble. The real standout is Tuesday afternoon, September 8th. The wind drops to glassy, dead calm from the NNE, and the swell bumps up to 7ft with a 17-second period (combined energy of 2962). This is the moment. Clean, glassy, long-period SW groundswell. It’s still a big wave, so it’s one for the experienced crew, but the quality is going to be insane.

We then hit a dry spell. Wednesday, September 9th, through to the end of the first week is a total mess of onshore winds and massive, blown-out swell (13ft on the 9th!). The second week starts with a few more promising windows. Friday morning, September 11th, has a 8ft swell with a light onshore wind, but it’s still a lot of water. The absolute best of the second week looks like Saturday morning, September 12th. The wind is dead calm, glassy, and the swell is a solid 7ft from the SW with a 16-second period (combined energy of 2459). That’s the kind of morning you set an alarm for. It’s a lot of power, but glassy conditions make it a paddler’s paradise.

The wave quality tapers off after that. Sunday, September 13th, has a clean cross-off wind and a dropping 6ft to 7ft swell, which is a nice, manageable size. After that, the swell fades to very small, weak waves (under 3ft) with poor onshore winds for the rest of the week. There’s a tiny, tiny window of glassy 3ft stuff on Friday morning, September 18th, but it’s marginal.

The last real highlight comes on Saturday, September 19th. The swell picks back up to 5ft in the morning, bumping to 5ft in the afternoon with a 19-second period (combined energy of 2966). The wind is light cross-off from the ENE, keeping it clean. This is a great, long-period groundswell for experienced surfers looking for a clean, powerful wave to finish the run.

So, the best two windows are Tuesday afternoon, September 8th for that glassy, 7ft groundswell, and Saturday morning, September 12th for another glassy session on a similar size. If you can get out on Saturday, September 19th, that’s a solid, clean consolation prize.

Rusty.

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