36th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the 16-day picture for the local stretch. Honestly, I have to be straight with you – this is about as lean as it gets. The whole 16-day window has zero standout sessions, and the first actual surfable bump doesn’t show up until late in the first week. Most of the time, we’re looking at flat or near-flat conditions with poor quality.

Right now, through the start of the period, there’s nothing to get excited about. The first little bit of energy arrives on Saturday, July 12th, but it’s a joke. 36th Street (beach/jetty) sees a tiny 0.7 ft swell from the east with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 7. The wind is a cross-onshore breeze from the ENE at 15 mph, making it choppy. Water temp is a very warm 77°F, which is 5°F above normal – that’s notably warmer than usual for this time of year, but there’s no surf to enjoy it in.

That tiny bump fades fast. Sunday the 13th shows a few ripples of 3 ft from the east and southeast, but the period is a dismal 5 to 6 seconds, and it’s still cross-onshore. The energy is still low, in the 45 to 56 range. It’s a no-go.

Monday the 14th brings a small shift – we get clean offshore wind from the southeast at 10 mph, but the swell is only 3 ft and 2 ft, still short period. The energy is weak (58 and 38). It’s surfable in a longboard kind of way, but it’s not worth rushing out for.

From Tuesday the 15th through to the end of the first week, we see a mix of tiny swells (1 ft to 2 ft) with periods creeping up to 8 and 9 seconds. The wind turns cross-off or offshore at times, which is nice, but the energy is pathetic – down to as low as 9. The best of this weak stretch is Thursday afternoon, July 17th, with a 2 ft swell from the SSW and a 5 second period, but the wind is offshore from the WNW at 20 mph, keeping it clean. Still, that’s a tiny wave with almost no push.

Then we hit a major gap. From Friday, July 18th, through to the end of the 16-day window on July 26th, the surf is essentially flat. We’re looking at 0.3 ft or zero swell for days on end. The combined energy drops to single digits or zero. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, so it’s choppy and messy when there’s even a ripple. There’s a moment on Sunday morning, July 20th, with a 0.3 ft swell from the southeast and a 12-second period – that’s a long period, but with that tiny height, it’s just a long wait between nothing. Offshore wind from the north at 10 mph keeps it clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

This is a tough run. For the entire 16 days, there’s not a single session I’d call good. The best you can hope for is a clean, tiny wave on a longboard, and even that’s a stretch. If you’re a kiter, the wind is there on some days, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a blank run.

Rusty.

Read more