Vero Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening in the surf.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead for the Vero Beach Pier area. We’re looking at a long, flat spell with hardly any push. The data shows a big gap with no real surf to speak of for the first several days. From Saturday the 4th right through to the end of the first week, it’s all tiny, weak waves and poor conditions – nothing worth paddling out for. The first surf recommendation doesn’t show up until quite a bit later, so don’t get your hopes up too soon.

Water temp at Vero Beach Pier is about 82°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, by about 2°F. That’s notable, but nothing too wild.

Let’s run through it. Saturday the 4th to Sunday the 5th is flat, with tiny 1ft to 0.7ft waves out of the east, weak energy (combined swell energy values between 8 and 25 – all very weak). Winds are light and variable, with a few glassy moments on Sunday afternoon, but the waves are just too pathetic to matter. Monday the 6th through Wednesday the 8th stays tiny, still 0.7ft to 1ft, same east swell, weak energy. A bit of clean morning surf possible but it’s basically a lake.

We finally see a real pulse on Wednesday the 8th afternoon. Swell jumps to 2ft from the ESE with a period of 10 seconds – that’s moderate energy (117) and the first sign of life. But the wind is cross-onshore at 15 km/h (9 mph), making it choppy. It’s still not a great surf, just less poor.

Thursday the 9th to Friday the 10th stays small, 1ft to 2ft, with the ESE swell losing period and energy. Winds pick up, especially Friday afternoon – 20 km/h (12 mph) cross-onshore, just lumpy. Not your day.

Weekend of the 11th and 12th? Still stubborn. Small east swell, 1ft, weak energy, and afternoon onshores. The best morning windows show clean conditions and offshore winds on Sunday the 12th morning, but the swell is still only 1ft – a waist-high dribble at best.

The second week doesn’t get much better. Monday 13th through Wednesday 15th stays in the 1ft to 2ft range, mostly east-southeast. Winds get stronger, especially Wednesday afternoon with 30 km/h (19 mph) from the east – fresh cross-onshore and lumpy. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

Now, there is a bit of a standout on the horizon, but it’s a long way off. On Thursday the 16th, the morning shows a bit more size – 3ft from the ESE, combined energy of 44 (moderate). The wind is light from the north (10 km/h, 6 mph), cross, so it’s clean-ish with small ripples. That’s the first real window where you might get a couple of rideable ones.

Then Friday the 17th morning sees the best swell of the whole 16-day run: 5ft from the east, period of 6 seconds (short period, so mostly windswell, a bit fat), combined energy of 130 – moderate energy. Wind is SE at 15 km/h (9 mph), cross, so it’s not perfect but it’s the most power we see. The waves will be a bit bumpy but punchy enough for intermediate surfers. That afternoon stays similar but gets more onshore.

Saturday the 18th drops back a bit to 4ft, still east swell (6 seconds), but onshore wind makes it messy. And then Sunday the 19th fades back to tiny, weak 2ft.

The crowd situation – Vero Beach Pier is listed as “sometimes” crowded, so you can expect company on the better days, but nothing too wild.

So, the one true standout in this whole forecast is Friday the 17th, morning session at Vero Beach Pier (Vero-Beach-Pier). That’s the best on offer – 5ft of east swell, moderate energy (130), and cross winds keeping it just rideable. It’s not world-class, but it’s the closest we get to a real surf. The swell is too small and short-period to worry about beginners, but it’s fine for intermediates. Everything else is either flat, small, or blown out.

Hang in there, it’s been a quiet run. Forecasts change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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