30th Street/Ship Bottom Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me give it to you in feet and Fahrenheit.

Here at 30th Street/Ship Bottom, the water is a warm 77°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – about 4° above the norm, so you’ll be comfortable without a wetsuit.

Truth is, this forecast is a long, slow stretch. We’ve got a big gap from Monday the 24th right through to the start of September with no real surf to speak of. The combined swell energy is weak, barely hitting double digits (37 m) on the first day, sticking low for over a week. Tiny swells around 1ft to 1ft with short periods and mostly cross or onshore winds. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 26th morning *almost* gives you a moment – glassy conditions with that 1ft from the SE, period 9 seconds, and a light offshore breeze (5 km/h from the NW). But the wave energy is still too weak (26 m), and the report says poor surf. Not the day.

Things stay quiet right through to the afternoon of the 2nd of September. That’s the first day we see something worth a look. On Wednesday afternoon, we get a 4ft swell out of the east, period 12 seconds, and a clean offshore wind from the west at 12 mph. The combined energy hits 395 m – moderate – and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” This is the standout of the whole 16 days. East swell is just off the optimum SE direction, but it’s clean and sized right for a beginner-friendly spot. The 4ft is manageable, not huge.

After that, Thursday the 3rd, Friday the 4th, and Saturday the 5th see bigger swell – 6ft to 6ft – but with cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. That’s getting too big and messy for this beach. For an experienced surfer, the cleanest of those days might be Friday afternoon or Saturday morning with cross-off winds, but the swell period is short (7–8 seconds) and the energy is strong (570–704 m), so it’s rough and rowdy.

By Sunday the 6th, things settle back to a cleaner 4ft east swell with light cross-off winds in the morning, but the period is still short, and energy is moderate (237 m). It’s surfable, but nothing special.

The real story: a long flat spell, then one promising afternoon on the 2nd of September, and a few powerful but poorly shaped days for experts after that. If you’re beginner, wait for that Wednesday the 2nd. If you’re advanced, Friday the 4th might offer some heavy, lumpy sets, but don’t expect perfection.

Stay patient. This is a slow period for 30th Street.

Rusty

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