Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this is a tough stretch. Looking at the whole 16-day window, there’s no real green light for a good surf session. The pattern is pretty much locked in: a persistent cross-shore or cross-offshore wind from the ENE, which is the wrong angle for Windmills. The swell is coming from the same direction, mostly short-period stuff, and the water is going to be lumpy, choppy, or just plain messy for most of it.

The first real chance to even get a board wet comes up on Sunday the 16th of August. The morning is still a write-off, but by Sunday afternoon, the wind drops to a gentle breeze from the east at 9 mph, giving us a clean cross-offshore. The swell is 6 ft from the ENE with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 394. It’s still marginal – the forecast only gives it a 1 out of 10 – but it’s the cleanest the surf will be all week. Expect a bit of a wait for the sets.

After that, the surf drops off quickly. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th see the swell fade to knee-to-waist high (4 ft to 5 ft), with the energy dropping to weak levels (136-252). The wind stays cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s just not enough push.

From Wednesday the 19th right through to the end of the month, we’re in a flat spell. The swell height drops below 3 ft for days, the energy is mostly in the double digits, and a few days even show a tiny 1.0 ft west swell. The wind doesn’t let up, staying cross-shore from the ENE. There’s a little bump in energy on the 24th (107), but it’s still tiny and lumpy.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is a pulse toward the end of the window. On Friday the 28th of August, the swell bumps up to 6 ft from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 693. But it’s still cross-shore winds at 15-19 mph, making it lumpy. It’s not going to be a classic day, but if you’re desperate for a paddle and can handle some chop, it’s the biggest push of the whole forecast. That’s more of a challenge for experts only, well over 5 ft and with that messy wind.

To sum it up: the best bet is the late afternoon glass-off on Sunday the 16th, but keep expectations low. Otherwise, the log stays in the garage. A blank run like this is pretty normal for the area when the trade winds lock in. It won’t stay poor forever, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty

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