The Inlet and Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me level with you straight up – the outlook for The Inlet and Pier over the next sixteen days is a tough one to write. I’m staring at a forecast that is pretty much flat or blown out for the entire period. There are no standout sessions to get excited about, no hidden gems. The very first surf recommendation we get is a tiny wobbler and it just doesn’t get better from there.

The water temperature right now is running 79°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, about 4° above the average. That’s notable, but it won’t help the surf.

We kick off on Tuesday, July 21st, with a tiny 4ft swell from the south, but it’s a shocker – a short period of just 5 seconds. Combine that with a nasty 19 mph cross-shore wind from the south, and you’ve got lumpy, choppy, poor conditions. The combined swell energy is a weak 74, so there’s just no power.

From Wednesday the 22nd right through to Saturday the 26th, it’s a real desert. The wave heights are barely 3 ft or less, mostly under 3ft. The winds are constantly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping everything messy. The combined energy figures are in the double digits, the lowest being 27 and the highest just 72, so we’re dealing with very weak, un-rideable slop.

There’s a gap from Sunday the 27th all the way to the end of the forecast. We see some days with proper offshore wind, like on the 28th and 29th of July, and again on the 31st of July and into early August, but the swell is virtually non-existent. Waves are listed as zero or just ankle-high. Even when the wind turns offshore and clean, there’s simply nothing to push through.

The entire second week is more of the same. From August 1st to the 5th, we’re stuck with the same story: knee-high to ankle-high dribble, mostly from the east or southeast, with periods so short there’s no energy. The combined energy never breaks out of the 20s and 30s. It’s heartbreaking.

Look, I’ve got to be honest. This is one of those stretches where the area lives up to its reputation. It’s a very consistent break usually, but right now there is no surf on offer. For a beach/jetty setup like this with the wind charts reading as they do, this is looking more interesting for a kite surfer looking for a flat-water session than a paddle surfer. Hold tight, forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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