Surf City Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking like a tough stretch for scoring anything decent around here. We’ve got a long gap of flat, weak, or messy conditions to sit through before we might see a tiny window of something rideable.

The real story for the first week is a whole lot of nothing. From Friday the 21st of August right through to the 27th, the energy is basically non-existent. We’re looking at tiny waves—mostly around 1 ft—with short, weak periods and poor wind. The combined swell energy is barely ticking over, sitting in the low double digits to mid-50s (19–105), which tells you there’s no push behind anything. Most of the time the wind is cross or cross-onshore, so it’s choppy and bumpy. Honestly, this isn’t surf; it’s a lake with a breeze. For a break like Surf City Pier that’s a sandbar setup, there’s just nothing to work with.

We finally get a bit of a pulse on Sunday the 23rd of August. It’s nothing to write home about—swell is still tiny, only 2 ft from the S, but the wind goes light offshore from the NNW first thing. That’ll clean things up a little, and the energy bumps to 51. It’s “surfable” but only just. The water temp is sitting at 84°, which is about average for this time of year, so at least the water feels normal. That Sunday morning window is probably your best bet for a slow, grovelly session.

After that, we slide back into a slump. From Monday the 24th all the way to Saturday the 5th of September, it’s a desert. The swell stays below 2 ft, the period is short and weak, and the combined energy is almost always below 100. The wind is messy and onshore for long stretches. There are a few mornings with clean-ish conditions and a cross-off breeze—like Wednesday the 2nd of September morning and Thursday the 3rd of September morning—but the swell is just too small to care about. Even the better looking moments, like Friday the 28th of August morning, only manage a 2 ft ESE swell with a weak 9-second period. It’s clean, but you’ll be fighting for any sort of rideable lump.

Overall, if you’re desperate, try Sunday morning the 23rd of August at Surf City Pier for a tiny, clean wave. Otherwise, leave the board in the car and save your energy. The forecast can change, so don’t lose hope, but right now the outlook is flat and frustrating.

Rusty.

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