South Beach (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let me give you the straight-up truth on what’s coming.

Honestly, mate, the next couple of weeks look like a total write-off for anything worth paddling out for. We’re looking at a solid stretch of tiny, weak, and messy conditions at South Beach (Miami). There’s nothing that even sniffs at a decent wave for the entire 16-day run.

Right from the get-go, Tuesday the 4th of August, we’ve got a tiny 0.3ft of swell pushing in from the northeast, but it’s a cross-onshore wind from the southeast at 16 mph just tearing it up. The combined swell energy is a pathetic 4, so you’re just looking at a flat, bumpy ocean. That pattern pretty much holds all week. We get a little bump up to around 3.0ft on Thursday morning, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, and the period is a short, weak 5 seconds. It’s all poor surf conditions, day after day.

This flat spell just keeps on rolling. We go through the whole first week and into the second with nothing but these tiny, choppy waves. The biggest we see is maybe 3.3ft on Friday the 15th of August, but again, it’s cross-onshore wind and a short period, so it’s just a messy, blown-out shorebreak. The water temp is sitting around 86.5°, which is about normal for the time of year.

There is a tiny glimmer late in the run. Monday morning, the 17th of August, we get a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 6 mph, and the conditions are described as "clean". But the swell is still only 2.0ft from the southeast with a period of 4 seconds, and the energy is a weak 16. You might find a tiny, weak ripple, but it’s not a wave you’d drive for.

And then Tuesday the 18th of August morning, we see a bit of a longer-period groundswell at 10 seconds from the east, but it’s only 0.7ft. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so it will be glassy, but with that tiny size and combined energy of just 21, it’s barely a ripple.

Bottom line: there are zero standout days here. For the entire 16-day window, there’s nothing that even rates as a "good" option. The consistent onshore wind and lack of any real swell energy mean the best thing to do is leave the board at home. If you absolutely have to get wet, the cleanest conditions will be on the morning of the 17th, but keep your expectations on the floor.

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