21st Street (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming down the pike for our stretch of beach.

Honestly, this is a tough one to start. Looking at the next two weeks, we are staring down the barrel of a pretty flat and messy run. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 16th, and even then, it’s not exactly going to set the world on fire. There’s a solid gap of quiet conditions before that.

Let’s get into it.

The water is sitting at a balmy 87°F right now, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. You won’t need a spring suit, that’s for sure.

For the first few days, it’s a bust. Sunday the 13th through Tuesday the 15th is all tiny, weak junk. We’re talking knee-high dribble at best, with onshore and cross-onshore winds making a mess of it. The combined energy is barely registering, like 11 to 17 on the scale. Don’t even bother checking the cam.

Wednesday the 16th shows a slight pulse. By the afternoon, we see some swell from the NNE pushing 4ft, but with a short period of 8 seconds. The energy bumps up to 171, which is something, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. It’s still a pass for me.

Thursday the 17th is more of the same—4ft from the NNE, still short period, still messy. The energy is around 180, so there’s some push, but the wind keeps it from being any good. By Friday the 18th, we’re already dropping back down.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting, but you have to wait for it. We’ve got a real stand-out moment on the morning of Wednesday the 23rd of September. The wind goes totally glassy—dead calm, 0 mph from the West. The swell is small, only 1ft, but it’s a long-period groundswell coming from the NE with an 11-second interval. That’s the kind of energy that could wrap in and give you a few clean, lined-up little runners at 21st Street (Miami). The combined energy is 46, so it’s not powerful, but with perfect conditions, those waist-high waves will be as clean as a whistle. This is the absolute best of the whole outlook, but you have to be realistic—it’s small.

Later that afternoon and into Thursday the 24th, the wind swings around and chops it up again, so that window is tight.

Looking further out, there’s a bit more energy showing up around Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th. We see swell from the NE/NNE around 2ft to 3ft, with long periods of 12 to 13 seconds on the Friday. The combined energy hits 124 to 136, which is solid for such small heights. But it’s cross-onshore or onshore wind again, which is a real shame. Those are groundswells that would be incredible with offshore wind, but as it stands, they’ll be lumpy.

The last few days of the month, the 27th and 28th, are more onshore wind and short-period windswell. Not worth the wax.

So, to sum it up: if you are desperate for a paddle, the only real window for something clean and surfable is the morning of Wednesday the 23rd. It’s tiny, but it’ll be glassy. Everything else is either too small, too choppy, or both.

Keep your eyes on the forecast, because it tends not to stay this poor for long. But for now, that’s the reality.

Rusty.

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