South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Alright, let’s have a look at what South Padre Island has cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, it’s a tough period ahead. The surf is looking pretty weak and messy for the vast majority of the 16-day window, with the swell energy staying below 100 (moderate wave energy) until the very last days. The winds are predominantly cross or onshore, creating lumpy, choppy, and poor conditions day after day. Don’t get too excited for a solid session for the next two weeks, to be honest.

We start off Saturday the 12th of September with a tiny 3ft SSE swell (combined energy 24), but a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind has it all lumpy and poor. That pretty much sets the tone. Sunday the 13th through to Friday the 18th of September sees tiny swells, mostly from the SE to E, all under 4ft and with short periods (4-7 seconds). The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, so we’re looking at messy, choppy surf all the way. There’s a bit of a lift on Saturday the 19th of September with a glassy morning from the ENE (3 mph), swell 2ft, but with a period of only 6 seconds, it’s just not packing any punch (combined energy 45).

Early in the second week, Sunday the 20th of September morning has a light cross-offshore wind from the NW, making conditions clean, but the swell is only 1ft from the E (combined energy 14) – barely a ripple. After that, it’s back to tiny, weak, and choppy right through to the end of the week.

However, if you are patient, the very last part of the forecast shows a glimmer of something better. On Saturday the 27th of September, we finally see a bit of energy turn up. The overnight into Sunday morning the 28th of September (Sunday morning), the swell reaches 4ft from the E with a longer period of 8 seconds and combined energy of 166 (moderate wave energy). The wind is light from the NE, so it’s a light cross-onshore, meaning it will be a little bumpy but rideable. Sunday afternoon gets even better, with the swell lifting to 4ft from the ENE, a 9-second period, and combined energy jumping to 232 (moderate wave energy). The wind is a gentle 9 mph cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit messy but much more powerful than anything we’ve seen. This is the standout session, but it’s a long time away and not super clean. For a spot that’s inconsistent, this is about as good as it gets in this outlook.

South Padre Island (the main break here) is a beach/jetty spot, so it’s exposed to our wind, and it rarely breaks well. The water temp is sitting at a balmy 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The best chance to get a wave that’s not a complete battle is that Sunday the 27th of September. The forecast has a few small spikes before that, but nothing worth writing home about. For now, it’s a waiting game. The surf should pick up a little in the very long range, but remember, long-range calls are always a bit uncertain. Stay tuned.

Rusty.

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