30th Street/Ship Bottom Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for our local stretch. Gotta be straight with you – it's a grim picture for the most part. We're staring down a long, dry spell of tiny, weak, and messy conditions before we finally see a flicker of life.

First up, the early forecast is a tough one. We're looking at a solid week of nothing really worth paddling out for. From Friday the 7th right through to the end of the following week, the swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and the period is short, between 4 and 8 seconds. That's just windswash, not real surf. The combined energy is weak, often in the low double digits (like 24, 30, 58), and the water is a touch warmer than normal at 77°. The winds are mostly cross-off or cross, which keeps the surface clean, but there's just no power behind it. It's a "poor surf conditions" readout across the board. You'd be better off finding a different hobby for the first week.

Then, come Tuesday the 18th, we finally get a pulse. The morning shows a jump in swell to 4ft from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy hits 129, which is finally moderate. What's more, we've got a gentle offshore wind from the WSW. That means the wave face will be clean, and the conditions are described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's not gonna be a classic, but it's the first real chance in the entire forecast. The afternoon sees the swell bump up to 4ft, but the energy drops to 119 and the wind goes cross-off, so the morning is the pick of that day.

The best of the whole run, and the only true standout you need to circle on your calendar, is the morning of Thursday the 20th. The swell is 3ft from the ESE, but the period is a solid 9 seconds, and the combined energy is a strong 235. More importantly, we've got a fresh offshore wind from the W at 19 mph. That's a powerful, clean wind that will groom the waves beautifully. The report calls it "marginal," but given the rest of the forecast, that's a massive win. It's going to be a proper, clean, offshore day for 30th Street/Ship Bottom. The swell direction is from the ESE, which is a bit off the optimum SE, but with that wind, it'll be the best session in the whole 16-day window by a mile.

After that, it fades out again. Friday the 21st morning is glassy but tiny at 2ft, and by Saturday the 22nd, it's back to small, cross-shore junk.

So, there you have it. A long, flat wait, then a couple of windows of opportunity, with the morning of the 20th being the clear winner. Get your board ready for that one.

Rusty, signing off.

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