13th Ave South Surfside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at 13th Ave South Surfside.

To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and messy. There’s nothing on the cards that’s going to get your heart racing. The first sign of any real action is a long way off.

We kick off on Thursday, August 20th, with tiny 0.7ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is straight onshore, making it a complete write-off. The water is sitting at 85°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s the only highlight.

The whole first week is a struggle. Friday the 21st is a no-go with a tiny 0.3ft swell and cross-onshore wind. Saturday the 22nd has a bit more push, up to 2ft, but it’s short-period, wind-affected slop. The combined swell energy is still weak, hitting only 40 on Saturday morning.

Sunday the 23rd is a bit of a tease. The swell is still small at 1ft from the SSE, but we get a clean offshore wind in the morning and then glassy conditions in the afternoon. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything decent. The energy is still low, around 18-20.

This pattern of small, wind-affected waves drags on. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… all the same story. The wind is rarely your friend, and the swell is tiny. There’s a gap of several days here where there’s really nothing to recommend.

Towards the end of the month, we start to see a little more life. On Thursday, August 27th, the afternoon swell picks up to 3ft from the S with a period of 7 seconds, and the energy climbs to 77. Still, the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s choppy.

The next day, Friday the 28th, is about as good as it gets in this window. The morning is glassy, with a calm wind, and we have 2ft swell from the SSE. The energy is still low at 42, but the conditions are clean. The afternoon gets even better with glassy conditions and a 1ft swell from the SE with a longer 10-second period, pushing energy up to 73. It’s not a classic, but it’s the most surfable moment of the whole forecast.

Then we go back into the doldrums. The weekend of the 29th and 30th is onshore and messy. The beginning of September sees a bit more size, with Thursday, September 3rd, showing a 3ft swell from the east early in the morning, with a clean cross-offshore breeze and energy climbing to 145. That’s moderate wave energy, but it’s still just a “surfable but ordinary” call. The wind goes bad in the afternoon.

Friday, September 4th, has the biggest swell of the period at 4ft from the east, but with a short period of 7 seconds and a moderate cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be choppy and junky. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the honest truth? There are no standouts here. The best bet is to keep an eye on Friday, August 28th, for the cleanest conditions, even if the waves are small. And maybe Thursday, September 3rd, for a bit more size, but don’t expect perfection. This is a slow patch. It’s a blank run that’s pretty normal for the area, so don’t lose hope – forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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