The Inlet and Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking the only break in the game for the next 16 days: The Inlet and Pier. It’s a beach and jetty spot, sees plenty of swell, and it’s super consistent, so there’s always something coming in. But it’s a rough outlook, no two ways about it. The water is a warm 79°F, which is 6°F above normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year.

Monday the 7th is a dud. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the east, a weak 9-second period, and a cross-on wind. The combined energy is a weak 50. It’s just poor.

Tuesday the 8th is even smaller. The swell drops to 1.0 ft, and while the morning has a cross-off breeze, the afternoon gets a messy cross-shore chop. Still no good.

Wednesday the 9th is a joke. The morning is 0.7 ft, and the afternoon jumps to 3 ft but with a 4-second period from the south – that’s just wind chop. Energy is 43 (weak). It’s clean but completely gutless.

Thursday the 10th is more of the same. Tiny morning swell, and a 3 ft south swell with a 6-second period in the afternoon. Energy is 69 (weak). Clean, but no push.

Friday the 11th is a mess. A cross-shore breeze and a 1.0 ft swell in the morning, then a 2 ft onshore slop in the afternoon. Nothing to even paddle for.

Saturday the 12th is choppy and onshore. 2 ft max. Energy is 26 (weak). Kite surfers might get a kick, but for a paddle surfer, this is a hard pass.

Sunday the 13th is glassy in the morning, with a 1 ft, 10-second swell from the southeast. Energy is 38 (weak). It’s pretty, but the swell is too small to do anything with.

Finally, on Monday the 14th, we get a flicker of hope. The morning is glassy, with a 2 ft, 9-second groundswell from the east-southeast. The combined energy climbs to 53 (weak). The data calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d agree. It’s the *best* of a very bad bunch. The wind is light and glassy, so it’ll be dead clean, but you’ll be fighting for every inch on that tiny wave. The rest of the week from the 15th to the 19th is a blur of tiny, weak, or choppy conditions. The swell direction is mostly southeast or east, a long way from the optimum northeast direction for this spot.

Look, the 20th of September (Sunday) is the only other day that stands out. The swell hits 3 ft from the east-northeast, with a 7-second period, and the combined energy reaches 139 (moderate). It’s onshore in the morning, but the afternoon is a light cross-on breeze. It’s still not great, but it’s the biggest energy we see in the whole 16 days.

The pattern is clear: we’re stuck in a run of tiny, weak swells with poor direction. The best day is probably Monday the 14th morning for a clean, glassy session on a knee-high wave, or maybe Sunday the 20th afternoon for a bit more push. But there’s nothing here that’s going to get the heart pumping. It’s a long, flat stretch ahead.

Rusty.

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