Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this is a grim stretch for surfing. We’re looking at a long, long blank run with almost nothing worth paddling out for. The first real chance of anything doesn’t come until the very end of this 16-day window. You’re looking at roughly two weeks of poor to marginal conditions before we see a tiny flicker of life.

The only spot in the mix is Windmills. It’s an advanced reef break, fairly consistent, but it’s going to be a waiting game.

The first half of the period is basically a write-off. We’ve got lots of onshore and cross-shore wind from the ENE and E, with swell mostly small and weak. The combined swell energy barely cracks triple digits most days, sitting around 100 to 200 – that’s weak, messy energy. There are a few cleaner windows Tuesday afternoon (September 8th), but the swell is only 4 ft from the ENE, which is not the optimum direction for this break – Windmills wants it from the NNW. The water is warm, sitting at about 80°F, which is average for this time of year.

Things get a bit more interesting around Thursday the 17th of September in the afternoon. A new swell starts to fill in from the NNW, the optimum direction. We get 3 ft with a long period of 13 seconds out of the NNW, and the wind goes cross-off from the ENE at 16 mph. The combined energy jumps to 449 (moderate energy). The water temp is about average for the season. This makes for a clean, lined-up reef set, but the size is small. It’s surfable but nothing to write home about.

The morning of Friday the 18th of September is the best you’ll see. Swell from the NNW builds to 4 ft with a solid 12-second period (good energy, 426 combined energy). Wind is cross-shore from the ENE at 12 mph, which is okay for that reef, but it’s not glassy. The direction matches the optimum, so the reef will be working. The water is still about average temp. It’s an advanced wave, and with that longer period, it’ll have some punch for the size. It’s the best on offer in this whole outlook, but let’s be clear – it’s a very modest highlight in a desert of flatness.

From there, it fades through the weekend and into the next week with smaller, weaker NNW swell and persistent cross-shore winds. The last couple of days show cleaner cross-off winds, but the swell drops below 3 ft and the energy falls back under 300. Nothing special.

So, bottom line: if you’re desperate, the morning of Friday the 18th at Windmills is the only real call. Keep it on the radar, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

Read more