10th Street (Avalon) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at 10th Street (Avalon).

To be straight with you, the next 16 days look like a real struggle for surf at this beach/jetty setup. There’s no standout swell window, and most of the time, the conditions and swell just aren’t cooperating. From Thursday, August 13th through to the end of the month, the energy is mostly weak, the swell direction is often off, and the wind is working against us. The first real window of hope doesn’t even appear until Tuesday afternoon, August 18th, and even then, it’s a toss-up.

The water temperature is sitting at 79°, a solid 4° above the norm for this time of year – that’s way warmer than usual, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

The first surfable moment shows up on Tuesday, August 18th, during the afternoon. We’ve got a small 2ft swell from the southeast rolling in at a decent 13-second period. The combined wave energy is a moderate 144, so there’s some push, but the conditions are described as “surfable but very ordinary.” Winds are light from the WSW, cross-offshore, keeping things clean. It’s not a day to get excited about, but it’s the best we’ve got for a while. The swell direction from the SE is a far cry from the optimum NE direction for this break, so the shape will be lacking.

That little pulse fades quickly. Wednesday, August 19th, sees the swell drop to 2–2ft and the wind turns cross-onshore from the south, building a little chop. Not worth the paddle.

We get another tiny lick of energy on Sunday, August 23rd, with a morning offshore wind from the NNW blowing at 12 mph. Swell is only 2ft from the south with a short 5-second period and combined energy of just 51. It’s clean, but the waves will be weak and crumbly. The afternoon sees a 1ft SE swell with a 12-second period and 60 energy – longer period, but the power is just not there.

The biggest numbers appear on Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th, but let’s not kid ourselves. Swell climbs to 6–7ft from the ENE/E direction with a short 6–7-second period. Combined energy jumps to 295–460, indicating moderate to strong wave energy, but the wind is cross-onshore from the east, so it’s going to be a choppy, lumpy mess. That swell direction from the ENE/E is off for what 10th Street wants (NE), and the short period means poor shape at this beach/jetty. For a break that’s already inconsistent and only fairly exposed, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It’s expert-level size with poor quality.

The rest of the period is filled with either flat spells or tiny, wind-affected waves. Honestly, the best you can hope for is a clean, glassy morning with a longboard on the 26th, but the swell is only 1ft and the energy is 23. You’ll be floating more than surfing.

So, no true standouts here. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the Tuesday afternoon, August 18th window is your best bet, but keep expectations low. For anything bigger, the August 27th–28th window has the power but the conditions are against it.

Rusty.

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