Satellite Beach/RCs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’ve taken a good, hard look at what’s on the table for Satellite Beach. Let’s break it down.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead. We’re looking at a long, frustrating gap before anything even remotely rideable shows up. From now, right through the morning of Tuesday, the 22nd of September, it’s pretty much a write-off. We’re talking nine days of barely a ripple, with the odd little pulse of knee-high slop. The onshore wind is relentless, mostly cross-on from the NE, and that combo is just making a mess of things. There’s a couple of glassy mornings in there – Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th, for example – but with swell barely reaching 1 ft and a short period around 9 seconds, there’s just no push. The combined wave energy is weak, reading values like 27 or 42 – nothing to get excited about. It’s a desert out there.

Now, if you’re willing to be patient, there’s a glimmer. The morning of Tuesday, the 22nd of September, looks like the first real chance to paddle out. We’ve got a clean cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 6 mph, and the swell picks up to 4 ft from the ENE with an 8-second period. That’s still short-period, windswell stuff, but the combined energy jumps to 320, which is moderate. The water temp is about 86° – that’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s pleasant enough. This is the standout, but don’t expect magic; it’s just the best of a bad bunch.

After that, it gets messy again. Wednesday the 23rd through the end of the forecast is just more NE wind and lumpy, choppy conditions. The swell tries to push up to 6 ft or 6 ft a few times, especially around the 25th and 26th of September, but it’s short-period (7-8 seconds) and hammered by that constant cross-on wind at 12-19 mph. That size is getting too big for beginners, and with the chop, it’s really only going to appeal to the experts, and even then, the quality is poor. The wave energy does get strong, with readings hitting 766 on Friday the 25th morning, but it’s all wind-driven junk. Honestly, with the wind and the beach setup, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddling in.

So, the bottom line: hibernate until the morning of Tuesday the 22nd for the cleanest, most rideable conditions on offer. After that, it’s a grind. The surf just isn’t cooperating.

Rusty.

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