States Avenue (Gas Chambers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer down at States Avenue (Gas Chambers).

To be straight with you, this 16-day stretch is about as flat and frustrating as it gets. We’re looking at a long, grim run of tiny, weak swell with poor conditions. The water is sitting at 77° – that's a touch warmer than normal for late August, which is nice for a paddle but not much else.

The first real chance to even wet a line comes on Friday morning, 28 August. The swell is a pathetic 1 ft from the ESE, but the wind goes glassy. For a few hours, it’ll be clean. It’s not surf, it’s a float. The afternoon sees a little bump to 2 ft with light cross-offshore wind, but it’s still very ordinary. The combined energy is a weak 62 and 66 (moderate cross-onshore and choppy to clean). Honestly, not worth rushing.

Then we hit a major dead zone. From Saturday, 29 August, all the way through to Thursday, 3 September, it’s just tiny waves – 0.3 ft to 2 ft – with poor surf conditions. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross-on, but the swell is totally absent. The energy figures are in the basement, mostly 20-40. It’s a blank spell.

We finally see a tiny pulse of life on Friday, 4 September, but it’s a messy 3 ft from the ENE with a short period of 5-6 seconds. The wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy. The combined energy is still weak (48-74). Not recommended.

The only thing that remotely looks like a standout is the weekend of 5-6 September. On Saturday morning, 5 September, we get 3 ft from the east with a clean cross-offshore wind from the NNW. The energy climbs to 115, which is moderate. Still, it’s weak surf. The period is only 8-9 seconds, so it’s local wind swell. It’s clean, but tiny. Sunday, 6 September, is similar: 2 ft to 4 ft, clean cross-offshore wind, but the period drops to 5-9 seconds. The energy is 112-134. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but for a break that’s exposed to the SE and gets consistent, this is a total dud. The swell direction is from the E and S, not the optimum SE.

The second week, from 7 September onwards, is just more of the same. Small, weak, and poor. On 10 September, we get a clean offshore wind from the WNW and 3 ft, but the period is a shocking 6 seconds. The energy is 124, but it’s basically a choppy, weak closeout. Surfable but very ordinary.

So, the honest truth? There are no good options here. The forecast is flat and the wind is mostly wrong. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the cleanest windows are Friday morning, 28 August, and the weekend of 5-6 September, but don’t expect a wave you can actually ride. It’s a tough run for the area.

Rusty.

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