Surf City Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

First up, I’m not gonna lie to you – this stretch for Surf City Pier is one of the quietest runs I’ve seen in a while. For the next 16 days, there’s barely a pulse. The forecast is basically one long gap with no real surf to get excited about. There are a few brief moments where the conditions clean up, but the swell is tiny and the energy just isn’t there. The combined energy of all swells directed here barely cracks 103 on one day, and that’s the only time it even gets into moderate territory. Most of the time it’s in the weak range, between 18 and 87. So, if you’re looking for a proper surf, you’re gonna be waiting.

Let’s walk through it. From Thursday the 3rd through to Sunday the 6th of September, it’s all poor surf conditions. Light cross-onshore and choppy, with swell heights hovering around 1ft to 3ft, and short periods between 4 and 9 seconds. Nothing to write home about. The water temperature is sitting at 82°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a spring suit.

Then we hit Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th – still poor. Swell pushes up to 4ft out of the east on Monday, but the wind is cross or cross-onshore, 12 mph, and it’s messy. Combined energy is only 87. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 9th through Friday the 11th sees a couple of clean windows – the morning of the 10th and the morning of the 11th have cross-offshore winds, but the swell is tiny: 1ft to 2ft, and period is short at 5 to 9 seconds. The Friday afternoon of the 11th actually has a clean offshore wind from the WNW at just 3 mph, with a 4ft SSW swell, period 5 seconds. That’s the best looking moment in the whole 16 days, but it’s still pretty ordinary. The combined energy is only 68. You might get a couple of slow, weak waves, but don’t expect much.

The 12th of September has a brief spike in combined energy to 103, but it’s a cross-shore wind and the swell is 3ft from the SSW at 6 seconds. It’s a poor surf condition. After that, from the 13th through the 18th, it’s back to tiny 1ft to 3ft swells, mostly short period, with a mix of cross and onshore winds. The 16th of September morning has clean offshore wind again, but it’s only 2ft and 7 seconds.

Honestly, if you’ve got a kite, the beach setup might be more interesting than a paddle board on the days with moderate breeze and chop. But for us surfers, this is a tough run. The break is very consistent, but with such weak swell and poor quality, it’s just not happening. The forecast can always change, but right now, I’d say keep your board in the car and wait for the next system.

Stay patient.
Rusty

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