Spring Lake Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Spring Lake. Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a tough one. There are a lot of days where the swell just isn’t making it in, and when it does, conditions are messy.

For the first few days, it’s basically flat. Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th are showing tiny 0.3ft swell with next to no energy behind it – we’re talking combined swell energy of just 2 to 4. That’s not even knee-high dribble. Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th sees a tiny pulse, but it’s mostly short-period, weak junk with cross or onshore winds. You might see an ankle-snapper on Friday morning when the wind goes light offshore out of the NW, with 2ft from the SSE, but it’s not worth paddling out for.

The weekend of the 16th and 17th is a write-off – early Sunday the 16th has 0.3ft, then Sunday afternoon bumps to 3ft from the S, but the period is a dismal 4 seconds. That’s just wind slop. By Monday the 17th, it’s a full flat spell, zero swell energy. There’s a real gap there with nothing to ride.

Now, things get interesting from around Tuesday the 19th of August. We start seeing some proper groundswell arrive. On Wednesday morning the 19th, the swell is 2ft from the SE with a long 12-second period. The combined energy jumps to 120 – that’s moderate energy, and it’s actually coming from the right direction for the ENE exposure that Spring Lake needs. The water is running much warmer than average for this time of year, about 78°F, which is over 4°F warmer than normal – that’s notable. Unfortunately, the wind is onshore from the ESE, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. That same swell hangs around into the afternoon, but the wind picks up and swings cross-onshore. Still, this is the most significant swell of the whole run.

The period from the 20th onward is a mix of weak SE swells and a lot of cross or onshore wind. There’s a small shining moment on Sunday the 23rd in the afternoon: 3ft from the SSE, 8-second period, combined energy of 110, and light offshore wind out of the NW. That’ll be clean and surfable, but it’s hardly a standout. The waves will be weak and short-period, so don’t expect barrels. The rest of those days are mostly chopped-out or lumpy from breezy cross-onshore conditions.

The best on offer? I’d have to say Wednesday the 19th of August, despite the onshore wind. That’s the longest-period swell of the forecast and the most energy we see heading for the bank. If you’re desperate, Sunday afternoon the 23rd might give you a few clean but weak lines. Everything else is flat or blown out.

This is a tough stretch at Spring Lake. But hey, it tends not to stay poor for long around here – forecasts change.

Rusty.

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