13th Ave South Surfside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's get a look at the next 16 days. To be straight with you, it's bleak. I'm looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and generally messy surf. We’ve got a run of days with swell under 2 ft and winds all over the shop, so you’ll be fighting for anything rideable. The first real pulse of energy doesn’t show until late on Sunday, September 20, and even that is nothing to get overly excited about. There’s a long gap of quiet, unsatisfying conditions before that.

Let’s start on the morning of Sunday the 20th. The swell starts picking up a bit, running at 2 ft from the NE with a period of 4 seconds. The energy is still weak (31), and it’s a short-period little windswell. It’s a glimmer of hope more than a surfable wave. That afternoon the swell builds to 4 ft from the ENE with a 6-second period, and the combined swell energy hits 102, so there’s some moderate grunt there. The problem is the wind – it’s a moderate cross-onshore from the S at 12 mph, making it choppy. If you were desperate, you could find a closeout, but it's not good.

Moving into Monday the 21st, the swell holds around 3 ft from the E with a 7 to 8-second period, and energy stays in the low hundreds (106, 114). But the wind is a fresh 19 to 22 mph from the NE, gusty and lumpy. That’s messy, bumpy, and hard work. Not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 23rd see the swell drop back to 2 ft and then 1 ft. The wind backs off a touch but is still 22 mph from the N, with some clean, glassier spells thanks to a cross-offshore direction. The energy numbers are low again (28, 29), so it’s tiny and anemic.

Thursday the 24th looks like the pick of this grim period. The swell is tiny at 1 ft, but the wind goes true offshore from the NNW at 16 mph in the morning, and by the afternoon it's a gentle offshore from the NW at 9 mph. That means clean, glassy conditions. The energy sits at 22, so you’re looking at tiny, knee-high dribblers, but they’ll be perfect for a longboard or a foiler. Not for a shortboard.

Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th finish the period with 1 ft swell and light to clean winds. The energy is still in the 25-35 range. More ankle-snappers.

Look, the only spot on the map is 13th Ave South Surfside. It’s an exposed beach, and the optimum swell from the SE never shows. The swells we do get are small, period is short, and the winds are rarely clean. For beginners, the swell never gets over 5 ft, so anything that is rideable will be small and safe, but the inconsistency and cross-shore winds will make it frustrating. Honestly, with the windy, lumpy conditions during the moderate energy swell on the 21st, that setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There isn't a standout session across the whole 16 days. It’s one of those blank runs for the area. It won’t stay poor forever; forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a hard pass.

Rusty.

Read more