Tybee Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be honest with you straight up – it’s looking like a pretty dead run for the next couple of weeks at Tybee Pier. There’s nothing in the immediate forecast that’s going to get the heart racing, but if you’re patient, there’s a tiny glimmer way out at the far end of the window.

Right now, through the middle of August, it’s all small, weak, and messy. We’ve got a few days of glassy conditions on the morning of the 9th with light SSE breezes and a small 2ft ESE swell, but the water is a touch warmer than normal at 86°, and honestly, the wave quality is just poor. The energy is weak, sitting at a measly 37, and it’s not worth paddling out for.

The pattern stays flat and frustrating through most of the week. Winds bounce around – a bit of cross-offshore here, some onshore there – but the swell stays tiny, mostly under 2ft, and the period is short and weak. Even the cleaner moments like Wednesday and Thursday mornings with offshore WNW winds are still only pushing 0.7ft to 1ft of swell. It’s just not happening.

Towards the end of the first week and into the second, we do see a slight bump in the combined energy. On the 17th, the energy climbs to 83, but it’s coming with onshore SSE winds and still results in poor surf conditions. The 19th afternoon actually shows a spike with the combined energy hitting 247 off a 2ft ESE swell with a long 13-second period – that’s a proper groundswell signal. Problem is, the wind is cross-onshore and the conditions are described as poor. So close, yet so far.

Now, if you’re really itching, the one breakout moment in this whole 16-day stretch is Tuesday morning, August 18th. It’s not a world-beater, but it’s the best we’ve got. The wind will be glassy out of the NW, which is practically offshore, and the swell will be 1ft from the ESE with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a moderate 41. It’s small, sure, but those glassy conditions mean you might find a clean little ripple if you’re on a longboard. It’s the only session in the whole window where the report says "surfable waves," even if they’re ordinary. It’s a beginner-friendly, tiny-wave day, so don’t expect a barrel, just a fun, clean morning.

After that, the outlook goes back to poor conditions and onshore wind through the 24th. There’s a gap of several days after the 18th where there’s really nothing recommended again, just a long, flat spell.

So, the summary? For the next two weeks, the only standout – and I use that term loosely – is that Tuesday the 18th morning. Everything else is a write-off for proper surfing. If you’re desperate, the 2ft groundswell on the 19th afternoon has energy, but the onshore wind will chop it up. For now, keep the board in the rack and wait for a better forecast. The run is poor, but it never stays this way forever.

Rusty.

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