Spring Lake Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Spring Lake are looking like a real struggle. The pattern is stubbornly flat and poor, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. There’s a big gap of nothing for the first two weeks, and only a tiny glimmer at the very end.

From now through most of July, it’s a grim run. Saturday the 11th kicks off with tiny 1-foot swell from the southeast at 9 seconds, and a gentle onshore breeze from the east at 9 mph. The water’s sitting at a normal 72°, but the combined swell energy is a weak 22 – basically nothing. We’re talking waist-high slop at best, and it’s just poor surf. Sunday the 12th is worse: a bumpy 2 feet from the east-southeast with a short 5-second period, and a cross-on wind from the east-northeast at 12 mph. The whole week follows suit – tiny waves, choppy cross-onshore winds, and energy readings that barely crack 50. Wednesday the 15th afternoon offers a bit of hope with a clean 1-foot swell and a light offshore wind from the west at 9 mph, but it’s still knee-high and weak. Honestly, the setups here are more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing if the wind picks up, because the waves are just not there.

We then hit a dead zone from the 17th to the 24th. The swell drops to 0.3 feet or 0.7 feet, periods are short or weirdly long but with no energy, and the combined energy readings are in the single digits. There’s a long stretch of nothing – days of flat, glassy mornings with no push. The 25th of July sees a sudden spike in energy: 4 feet from the south-southeast at 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 212 (moderate). But the wind is onshore from the east at 19 mph in the morning, and cross-onshore in the afternoon. That’s a messy, blown-out 4-foot – too big for beginners and not clean enough for anyone else.

The only real standout is the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. It’s still not great, but it’s the best on offer. The swell is 3 feet from the south-southeast at 7 seconds, with a moderate combined energy of 105. The wind goes glassy – just a light SSW breeze at 3 mph. That’s clean, but the swell is short-period and a bit weak. The water temp is still around 72°, about normal. For a couple of hours, you might get some fun waist-high waves if you’re patient. After that, the afternoon turns to a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-shore breeze, and the swell drops off. So, if you’re desperate, paddle out early on the 26th – but don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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