South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for South Padre Island.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is a real struggle. There’s no surf worth paddling out for right now, and we’re looking at a long, dry spell. The first few days are a write-off, with tiny, weak swell and a relentless cross-onshore wind that’s just trashing everything. We’re talking about a gap of nearly two weeks before anything even remotely interesting shows up.

The only real standout in this whole period is a brief pulse of energy arriving on the Saturday morning of the 18th. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best we’ve got. A long-period groundswell from the East, with a period of 10 seconds, is forecast to push in. The combined swell energy will be moderate, hitting around 218 (moderate wave energy). The swell height is a very surfable 3ft, and with the wind shifting to a gentle cross-shore breeze, the conditions should be a lot cleaner than anything else we’ve seen. This is a spot that’s inconsistent, and this is a perfect example of that – it’ll be a flash in the pan.

The following morning on Sunday the 19th still has a bit of leftover energy, around 127 (moderate wave energy), with a 3ft swell from the East, but the wind turns back cross-onshore, so it won't be as good.

For the rest of the time, it’s a tale of either tiny, weak swell or building, messy, wind-whipped waves. The wind is almost always a problem, mostly from the southeast, keeping things choppy and lumpy. The water temperature is sitting at a warm 84°, which is about average for this time of year.

Honestly, for a beach/jetty break like South Padre, with this much wind and poor quality, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the period. Don’t hold your breath; just keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

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