10th Street (Avalon) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s get into it.

To be straight with you, the 16-day window around 10th Street (Avalon) is looking pretty quiet overall. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf with mostly poor conditions, and only a few brief windows where it’s even worth paddling out. The gap between now and the first glimmer of hope is almost a week, so patience is the name of the game.

Let’s start with the early days. From Wednesday 26 August all the way through to Tuesday 1 September, it’s a write-off. Swell is tiny, mostly 1 ft to 2 ft, with periods under 9 seconds – weak, wind-affected stuff. Most of the time the wind is cross-onshore or onshore, and the combined swell energy is barely registering: often under 100, sometimes as low as 23 (weak). Conditions are either choppy, glassy but without any push, or too messy to bother with. Not worth getting wet.

Then we get a little lift. On Wednesday 2 September, things improve just a touch. The swell pushes to 2 ft from the SE, period stretches to 11–12 seconds, and the combined energy hits 133 (moderate) in the morning and 121 in the afternoon. The wind goes light offshore or cross-offshore, so the surface cleans right up. It’s rideable, but still very ordinary. Better than what we’ve had, but no standout.

From Thursday 3 September through to Sunday 6 September, the swell jumps a bit – heights hit 3 ft to 5 ft – but the period drops back to 6–9 seconds, and that wind shifts around to onshore or cross-onshore again. A lot of that is just messy, choppy surf. The energy numbers climb into the 130–211 range (moderate to strong), but you won’t enjoy it unless you’re into battling bumps. Honestly, that setup on Thursday 3 September and Friday 4 September, with the ENE swell and onshore wind, looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

A brief clean window shows up on Monday 7 September morning: 2 ft from the E, 8 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is 92 (weak) but it’s clean. Then again, Tuesday 10 September morning offers some cleaner lines – 3 ft east swell, but only 5 seconds period, which is short period windswell, and energy at 67 (weak). Hardly a classic.

The standout window in this whole outlook is Wednesday 2 September. That’s the closest thing we’ve got to decent, clean surf. 10th Street will be handling a 2 ft swell from the SE, with that 12-second period giving it some shape and push (combined energy 133 – moderate). Light offshore wind keeps it glassy. It’s still small and only 2 ft, but conditions will be the best of the run. It’s a morning session, so get on it early.

After that, it’s back to waiting.

Right now, the water temperature is about average for this time of year – nothing wild to report.

Stay keen, but don’t expect much. Forecasts can always shift. This is Rusty, signing off.

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