30th Street/Ship Bottom Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get this out there.

Look, it’s a bit of a flat spell for the next stretch, so don’t get too fired up just yet. We’re looking at a run of small, weak surf with a few windows that might offer a clean slide for the patient ones, but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. The water is a balmy 75°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least the wait will be comfortable.

The first real chance to wet a line comes up Thursday morning. The swell bumps up to a tiny 4ft out of the SSW with a short 6-second period. It’s not going to be world-class, but we’ve got a light offshore wind from the west. That combo should keep things tidy and offer a few crumbly little runners. The wave energy is only moderate at 219, so sets will be few and far between. It’s the best of the early days, but it’s still very much a beginner’s wave.

After that, it drops right back off. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are pretty much a write-off with small, weak swells and less favorable winds. There's a bit of a windswell bump on Thursday the 24th with bigger energy readings of 668, but we’ll get to that.

Don't get excited for the long weekend either, the following week is dead. Monday the 16th and Tuesday the 17th are essentially flat, with a consistent run of poor conditions. There's a slight bump in energy on Saturday the 21st, but the wind is junk. It'll be a long stretch of small and messy.

The one standout in the whole period, and I mean the only one worth circling on the calendar, is the morning of Wednesday the 24th. We're looking at the biggest swell of the run at 6ft from the E, with a strong energy reading of 668. That’s a significant step up from the dribble we’ve been seeing. The problem is the wind will be fresh and cross-onshore from the ENE, making it a lumpy, tricky affair at the beach. The swell direction is close to the SE optimum for 30th Street, but that cross-shore energy is going to make it messy. This is more for the experienced guys willing to wrestle for a few; the size is over the 5ft mark, so it’s no place for a beginner. It’s more of a promise of a good surf coming rather than a perfect day itself. With the westerly wind on the 24th, the setup looks like it could be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

So, there you have it. A long stretch of flatness broken up by a couple of barely surfable days. The 24th has some potential power, but the wind will make it a gruff one. Keep your expectations low for the next few weeks.

Rusty

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