36th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the next week and a half is looking pretty grim. We’re looking at a long stretch of almost nothing until the end of the month. The first real chance of a wave comes right at the end of the 16-day window, so we’ve got a long wait ahead.

The only spot serving up anything is 36th Street, a beach and jetty break that's fairly consistent. Starting now, there's just nothing. From Sunday the 23rd right through to the end of August, the surf is tiny and weak. The combined energy is next to nothing, with values in the 19 to 64 range – that’s about as weak as it gets. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross-onshore, but with waves that small, it doesn't matter. The water is sitting at 77°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, if that's any consolation.

We finally see a little flicker of life on Monday the 31st of August. The morning session brings a clean 1 ft swell from the southeast, but with a very long period of 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 117 (moderate), but the waves are still described as “surfable but very ordinary.” The problem is, the wind turns cross-onshore in the afternoon and ruins it.

Tuesday the 1st of September is a similar story. Morning has a 2 ft southeast swell, period of 15 seconds, and clean cross-offshore winds. The energy is 111 (moderate). Again, “surfable but very ordinary.” It’s not a washout, but it’s a long way from good.

The only real standout happens on Thursday the 3rd of September. The afternoon brings a 3 ft swell from the southeast with a 13-second period, and we finally get a solid offshore wind from the west-northwest making it clean. The energy jumps to 297 (moderate), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the first time we’ve seen a score of 2/10. If you’ve been waiting, this is the window. It’s about as good as it’s going to get, so keep an eye on that Thursday.

The next day, Friday the 4th, still has some size – 3 ft to 3 ft – but the wind is less favourable, and the energy drops off a bit. The weekend of the 5th and 6th brings a bit more size (4 ft to 4 ft) but the wind is onshore and choppy, making it a write-off. After that, we’re back to tiny, weak surf for the final days of the forecast.

So, to sum it up: a long, frustrating dry spell, then one decent window on Thursday the 3rd of September. Don't hold your breath for anything else.

Rusty.

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