Surf City Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on the cards for Surf City Pier. I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and ordinary. There’s a big gap of quiet days before we even see a flicker of hope.

The run starts on Wednesday, August 26th, and honestly, it’s a write-off. Tiny 1 ft swell out of the SE with cross-onshore winds and weak energy (26). It stays like that through Thursday and Friday, with the swell struggling to reach 3 ft on Friday but with a windswell period of only 5 seconds and rubbish wind. Saturday morning the 29th is the first time we get a clean look – a little 1 ft SE swell with light offshore WNW wind. The energy is still weak (44), and it’s surfable, but it’s really just small waves for a longboard or a foiler.

From there we hit another flat spell. Sunday the 30th is glassy in the morning but still only 2 ft. Monday the 31st is tiny. There’s a long stretch of poor conditions and low energy readings all the way through to the end of the first week of September.

The first real standout comes on Wednesday morning, September 2nd. Finally, some energy shows up. We get a 2 ft SE groundswell with a 12-second period and moderate wave energy reading of 114. The morning has light cross-offshore WSW wind, keeping things clean. This is the pick of the early run – small but clean, with some proper push from the longer period. It’s not big, but for a little sandbar break, those conditions will be fun on a high-performance log or a fish.

The next notable morning is Saturday, September 5th. There’s a 3 ft swell from the ENE, with a 5-second period and moderate energy again (119). The wind is light cross-shore from the SSW. It’s surfable, but that short period will make it a bit lumpy and fat on the sandbar. Not a standout, but worth a look if you’re desperate.

Then on Tuesday, September 8th, the morning glass-off is worth mentioning. It’s a 2 ft E swell, just enough to wrap in with an 8-second period. Light airs and glassy conditions, which will make it look better than it is. Combined energy is weak (45), but glassy windows in a flat spell are gold for the patient surfer.

The last glimpse is on Thursday, September 10th: a 2 ft SSE swell with a cross-offshore NNE breeze and clean conditions. It’s the tail end of the run, and energy is still low (59). Not a day to set your alarm for, but if you’re local, you’ll have it to yourself.

Overall, the best chance for a proper surf will be early Wednesday morning, September 2nd. The combination of a long-period (12s) SE groundswell and light offshore wind is your best bet for the whole 16 days. Crowds are possible here, so keep that in mind.

Water temp is about average for the time of year, no major anomaly to report.

Stay keen, and don’t write it off completely – it can change.

– Rusty

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