South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for South Padre Island. I’ll be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with very little to get excited about, so patience is going to be the name of the game.

Right from the start on Sunday the 13th, it’s a no-go. The swell is tiny, around 2ft from the SE with a short period of only 4 seconds. On top of that, we’ve got a cross-onshore wind that’s making a mess of things. The water is sitting at a warm 85°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only positive here.

This flat and poor pattern drags on for days. Through the week of the 14th to the 17th, we’re seeing nothing but small, weak swells and onshore or cross-onshore winds. It’s frustrating. The combined wave energy in this whole period is pretty much non-existent, with most readings well under 100 – a sign of just how weak it all is.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on the morning of Friday the 18th. We get a slight bump in swell to 5ft from the east with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 327 (moderate energy). The wind is light and onshore, so conditions are marginal at best. It’s not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate.

The real standout, and I mean the only real chance for a surf, comes early on Saturday the 19th. The swell drops back to 3ft from the east, but the wind turns glassy – dead calm. That means the surface will be clean and smooth. The combined energy is weak at 59, and the period is short, so don’t expect any power. It’s small, but if you’re keen for a longboard or a foamy and you can pick your moment, this is the best you’ll see. The break at South Padre Island is exposed to the east, which is okay, but it prefers an ESE direction. The set-up is a beach and jetty, and crowds are possible at times. It’s inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for the few little runners that come through.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. From the afternoon of the 19th right through to the end of the period on the 28th of September, we’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf and mostly poor wind. Swells barely crack 3ft and the combined energy is almost always below 100. There are a couple of glassy mornings on the 22nd and 24th, but the swell is only 1.0ft to 1ft – barely a ripple. It’s not surfable.

If you’re a beginner, steer clear of anything over 5ft, but honestly, we never even get close to that. There’s nothing here for experts either. The whole period is a write-off for proper surfing, and with the wind and small, crappy chop, the beach setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Hang in there, it won’t be poor forever, but this is a blank run that’s pretty normal for the area in this kind of pattern. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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