The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. The only game in this whole 16-day window is The Fort, a consistent reef break that's fairly exposed. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no shocks there.

Right off the bat, Wednesday the 8th is a bit of a tease. We’ve got a long-period groundswell coming from the southwest. The swell is small, around 2ft to 3ft, but with periods hitting 18 seconds, it's got a lot of energy behind it (845). That long period is a plus for a reef break like this—it’ll push in with some shape. The catch is the wind. It's a moderate to fresh cross-shore breeze all day, creating a cross-chop and lumpy conditions. The morning is "marginal" at best, and the afternoon is a flat-out 'poor' call. It’s not a write-off, but it won't be pretty.

Thursday the 9th sees the swell bump up a gear. We're looking at 7ft from the WNW in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon. The period drops to a short and choppy 8-9 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 1250, so there’s plenty of power, but that short period and consistent cross-breeze (12-19 mph) will make for a lumpy, messy surface. This is getting into the "too big for beginners" territory, but with that wind, even intermediates will be fighting the texture. The same pattern holds for Friday the 10th—7ft WNW swells with a short period and fresh cross-winds. It's more of the same lumpy mess.

From Saturday the 11th all the way through to Wednesday the 22nd, the story doesn’t change much. The swell stays in the 4ft to 7ft range, mostly from the WNW, with the same short period (7-9 seconds). The wind is a constant cross-shore breeze, ranging from moderate to fresh (12-22 mph), keeping the ocean textured with that lumpy cross-chop. Every afternoon gets a '0' rating for poor conditions. The mornings are 'marginal' at best. There’s no standout session in this stretch—just a long grind of average, choppy surf.

Finally, towards the end of the window, things calm down. On Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, the swell drops right back to 2ft, but the period gets long again (16-18 seconds) and the winds go light. For Saturday afternoon, we get a light cross-onshore breeze with small wind ripples. It's small, but it's the cleanest the water will be all fortnight.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Wednesday morning on the 17th. We get a 6ft swell from the WNW with a short 8-second period, but the wind is a gentler breeze (9 mph) going cross-onshore. The combined energy is 1116. It's still "marginal," but it's the least worst option with some size on offer.

Overall, The Fort is not delivering the goods over this 16-day run. The consistent cross-shore wind ruins what could be decent swell. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Keep an eye on forecasts, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

- Rusty

Read more