Spring Lake Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real about Spring Lake. I’ve looked at the next 16 days, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. The first few days are a write-off, so you’re looking at a gap of almost nothing until we get past the first week.

The whole pattern is dominated by small, weak swell. The combined energy is almost always in the double digits, like 36 or 25, barely a whisper. The waves are just too small and the wind is mostly messy. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

Alright, let’s break it down.

We start Friday the 4th and the whole weekend is a bust. Tiny 2ft to 2ft swell from the southeast with a short period. The wind is cross-off or cross-on, but the waves are just not there. The combined energy is pitiful, maxing out at 36 on Friday morning. It's poor.

Sunday the 6th sees a bit more size, up to 4ft, but it’s from the east with a terrible 5-second period. The wind is cross-on at 25 km/h, making it choppy. The energy climbs to 135, but it’s all wind chop. Not worth paddling out. This setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

Monday the 7th is the first real glimmer. The morning has a 2ft east swell with a 10-second period, and the wind is cross-off from the north at 15 km/h, keeping it clean. The energy is weak at 79, but it’s *clean*. Then Monday afternoon gets glassy – a 5 km/h SSE wind, dead flat water. The swell is still only 2ft with an 11-second period, energy at 91. It’s surfable but very ordinary. You might get a knee-high wave if you’re lucky.

After that, it’s back to nothing. Tuesday through Thursday, we’re looking at 0.7ft to 1ft waves. The wind is clean, but there’s no swell to push it. Friday the 11th is the same story.

Then we hit Sunday the 13th. The swell jumps to 4ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon from the east-northeast, but the period is a short 7 seconds. The combined energy gets strong at 383 in the afternoon. But the wind is cross-on from the southeast, making it choppy and messy. It’s still marked as poor surf. The size is there, but the quality is not.

The second week is a wash. From Monday the 14th to Thursday the 19th, it’s all small, weak surf. There’s a moment on Wednesday the 16th with a 3ft swell from the northeast, but it’s a 4-second period and the energy is only 41. The wind is cross-off, but it’s just a dribble. Friday the 18th afternoon has a 4ft clean wave from the east-southeast with a 5-second period, energy at 89 – surfable but ordinary.

Honestly, the best on offer is Monday the 7th afternoon. The glassy conditions at Spring Lake are a rare treat. You’ll be on a 2ft, 11-second east swell. It’s small, but the clean, glassy surface will make it look better than it is. If you’re itching for a paddle, that’s your window. Don’t expect much.

The rest of the run is a drought. It’s just one of those periods where the lake is quiet. Forecasts can change, but from where I’m standing, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

Read more