Sunset Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Sunset Beach over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with ya – it’s a tough stretch for anyone wanting a proper session. The whole period is plagued by cross-onshore winds, and while there’s some solid energy in the water at times, the conditions just won’t let it come together. The water is sitting at 72°, which is 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – pretty unusual, you’d feel that difference straight away.

We kick off on Monday the 7th of September, and it’s not pretty. A 5 ft SSW swell with a 12-second period is moving through, and combined swell energy is moderate at 797. Problem is, we’ve got a 12 mph west cross-onshore wind tearing it up. It’s choppy, messy, and just poor surf. That sets the tone for the whole run.

Tuesday the 8th drops away to 3 ft, still cross-onshore, and the same story repeats through to Wednesday the 9th. That morning there’s a sniff of something with a tiny 2 ft SW swell but a very long 16-second period, giving a combined energy of 275. Winds are light cross-onshore, and it’s labeled as marginal. It’s small and clean-ish but barely rideable. That’s probably the best on offer across the entire outlook, which says it all.

From Thursday the 10th right through to Sunday the 20th of September, we see swell heights hovering between 1 ft and 3 ft, with periods mostly between 14 and 19 seconds. There’s some longer period groundswell in there, which would normally be promising for a point or reef, but here at Sunset – a sandbar setup – that long period just makes the waves break too straight. Winds are almost always cross-onshore, staying in the light to moderate range. Combined energy fluctuates between 126 and 527, so weak to moderate. But the comment for every afternoon session is “poor surf conditions.” Every morning is either poor or labeled “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” There’s no standout day. No window where the wind goes offshore or glassy.

Even into the second week, the pattern holds. Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th offer some of the bigger energy readings with 517 and 386, but with 2 ft swell and cross-onshore wind, it’s still no good. The last few days up to Tuesday the 22nd show tiny swell, around 3 ft to 3 ft, and still cross-onshore or onshore wind.

Honestly, for a beginner-friendly spot like Sunset Beach, the swell never gets over 5 ft so it’s not dangerous, but the quality is just not there. This is the kind of stretch where you’re better off doing something else. If you have to paddle out, the pick of a bad bunch would be the morning of Wednesday the 9th – that 2 ft SW swell with a very long period and light cross-onshore wind. It’s marginal, but it’s the closest you’ll get to a clean wave.

Even so, I can’t point to a single standout. Nothing here gets the nod. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because things can change, but for now, she’s a write-off.

Rusty.

Read more