15th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about 15th Street. I’m Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days. It’s a beach and reef break, consistent, and exposed to the swell. Water temp on September 4th is 75°F, which is way warmer than usual—over 5°F above the average for this time of year. That’s very unusual.

The first surf to get excited about is Friday afternoon, September 4th. We’ve got a 4ft SSW groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a lot of energy (1050), and it’s a long-period swell, so it’s going to hold up well at a reef setup. The wind is light offshore from the west at 9 mph, making for clean, glassy conditions. The report says it’s marginal, probably tide-dependent, but it’s the best of the whole window.

Saturday morning, September 5th, has a 4ft S swell, 14-second period, energy 1242. Light offshore wind again from the west at 6 mph. Clean again, but still marginal. A good session, but not a standout.

Sunday morning, September 6th, the swell jumps to 7ft from the SSW, period 14 seconds, energy 1748. That’s a powerful wave. But the wind is a cross-shore from the NNW at 12 mph, making it choppy and messy. At 7ft, it’s for experienced surfers only, and the wind is ruining the quality.

Monday morning, September 7th, has a 7ft SSW swell, 14-second period, energy 1640. The wind is a gentle cross-onshore from the WNW at 9 mph. Still choppy. Size is there, but the wind is off.

After that, it’s a long, slow decline. From Tuesday, September 8th, through Wednesday, September 16th, the swell drops from 6ft down to 1ft, with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds. The energy readings drop from 957 down to around 200-300. The comments are all “marginal” or “poor surf conditions.” There’s a big gap of nothing. The best of this weak stretch is Wednesday morning, September 9th, with a 4ft SSW swell and 10-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore.

The very end, from Thursday, September 17th, to Saturday, September 19th, sees a tiny pulse of very long-period groundswell (20-22 seconds, 1ft to 3ft). The energy is moderate (395-736), and the winds are light offshore from the WNW. But the swell is just too small.

Your standout is Friday afternoon, September 4th, and Saturday morning, September 5th. That’s the cleanest, best-shaped surf of the whole 16 days. The rest is a long, flat, choppy mess. This spot is consistent, so it usually bounces back, but this run is looking rough.

Rusty.

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