States Avenue (Gas Chambers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next 16 days are a tough watch for anyone looking for a proper wave around this area. The finder is throwing up a big, fat zero on quality from start to finish, so we’re looking at a long, quiet stretch.

The only spot showing any pulse at all is States Avenue (Gas Chambers). It’s a beach and jetty setup, consistent, exposed to the swell, but it’s just not connecting. The water is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, but that’s small comfort.

We kick off on Thursday the 20th of August with a tiny 1ft swell from the southeast, period at 8 seconds. The morning is glassy, but the combined energy is a weak 12 – there’s just nothing to work with. That afternoon, a south wind picks up to 12 mph, putting it straight onshore and choppy. Friday the 21st sees a slightly bigger 3ft wave from the northeast, but it’s a short, weak 5-second period with a messy 50 combined energy and a cross-shore wind. It’s poor.

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are more of the same – tiny, weak, and onshore. The best we see in that first week is Monday afternoon the 24th, when the wind goes offshore from the WNW at 16 mph, but the surf is only 1ft with a 12-second period. It’s clean, but it’s barely a ripple. The combined energy is just 35.

The next few days are a blur of tiny waves and onshore or cross-shore breezes. The 26th of August pushes up to 4ft from the SSE, but it’s a 5-second period and messy cross-shore wind. The energy climbs to 90, but it’s still junk. A kite surfer might find something to do here, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a flat-out no.

You then hit a blank run from the 27th of August all the way through the end of the month. The 1st of September shows a brief spike in energy to 119 with a 3ft wave from the northeast, but it’s a short 6-second period and choppy onshore wind. It’s a tease.

The only glimmer of hope, and it’s a long shot, comes on the 3rd and 4th of September. We get a fresh offshore wind from the NW at 19 mph, and the surf is tiny – 1ft to 2ft – but those conditions are clean. It’s a poor man’s glass-off, but for a desperate soul on a longboard, it might be the only window. Even then, the combined energy is weak, between 32 and 57.

No standouts here. None. The best on offer is the offshore wind window on the 3rd and 4th of September with a tiny, clean wave. That’s it. It’s a long dry spell, and for now, the forecasts are about as reliable as they get this far out – which is to say, don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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