South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's have it straight. The next couple of weeks on South Padre are looking pretty darn bleak for anyone wanting to get a proper wave. Honestly, there's nothing on the cards that I'd call a green light. The swell is weak, the wind is mostly onshore, and it's going to be a battle for anything even half-decent.

The story starts now, and it's not a good one. Through the end of July and into the first week of August, we're looking at a whole lot of small, crumbly surf. The wind is going to be a constant issue, blowing cross-onshore from the southeast and making everything lumpy and messy. We're talking swell heights mostly under 3ft, with periods of only 4 to 6 seconds – that's just wind chop, not real surf. To give you an idea of how weak it is, the combined wave energy will be in the low double digits, like 12 or 20 on the 31st and 1st. It's a real struggle.

There is a slight lift in energy around the 2nd of August, with the energy reading hitting 43 on the Saturday afternoon, but the swell is still a crumbly 4ft from the southeast with a short 4-second period. The wind will still be fresh and cross-onshore, so it will be lumpy. You might find a fun closeout if you're desperate, but it's a grovel. The water is a warm 83°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won't be cold while you're getting skunked.

The pattern pretty much holds for the next week. We see some energy readings climb into the 50s and 90s, like on the morning of the 7th of August, but it's all coming from the same short-period southeast wind swell. The waves will be in that same 2ft to 4ft range, and the wind is relentless. It will be choppy, lumpy, and hard to enjoy. Not ideal for anyone, especially beginners. The swell direction matches the optimum ESE for the break, but the period is just too short to do anything with it.

Into the second week, it's more of the same. There's no major swell event on the horizon. The period stays short, and the winds stay mostly cross-onshore. The energy readings hover in the 40s and 60s, which is still weak to moderate. There's no point in getting excited about any particular day. This looks like it's going to be a testing time for patience.

Honestly, with the onshore wind and this weak, short-period swell, the beach and jetty setup here might be better suited for the kite surfers. For a paddle surfer, it's looking like a blank fortnight. This kind of run is pretty normal for the area, but forecasts do change, so don't lose all hope. As it stands, I'd keep the board in the car and maybe find something else to do until this pattern breaks.

Rusty.

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