15th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's cooking for 15th Street.

First up, right now on Friday the 28th of August, we've got a long-period groundswell rolling in, but it's messy. The water is way warmer than usual for this time of year, sitting at 76°, which is a big anomaly. The swell is small, around 2ft, and coming from the SW with a long 16-second period. The problem is the wind is cross-onshore, kicking up ripples, so it's not clean. The combined swell energy is moderate at 437. This is a pretty poor setup for a paddle, honestly. If this were a beach setup with more swell, it might look better for kiting, but as is, it's a skip.

Saturday the 29th of August through Tuesday the 1st of September sees the swell bumping up slightly, with heights around 4ft to 4ft. The wind switches to onshore, which is better than cross, but it's still not glassy. The period stays long, between 14 and 16 seconds, giving it some grunt. Combined energy climbs into the 700 to 800 range, which is still moderate. The problem is the consistency of the quality – it’s just marginal. The surf isn't bad, but it's not clean enough to get excited about. Lots of these sessions are marked as poor or marginal.

Wednesday the 2nd of September through to the 10th of September is a frustrating stretch. We see swell heights hanging around 2ft to 4ft, all from the SSW or SW. The period stays solidly in the 12 to 17-second range, so there's energy there (often moderate to strong, hitting 1038 on the 3rd). But the wind is mostly onshore, and the forecast keeps calling it poor or marginal. There's a little blip on Thursday the 3rd afternoon where the combined energy hits 1038 (strong) with 4ft of 14-second SSW swell and onshore wind, but it's still just a "2" rating. The whole week is a grind of small, onshore, mediocre surf. You could get a wave, but you'll be working for it.

Now, the standout window looks like Friday the 11th of September. The swell jumps to 5ft from the S, with a moderate period of 14 seconds. The combined energy surges to 1215 for the afternoon, which is strong. The wind is moderate cross-shore, which is workable. This is the best on offer in the whole 16-day run. It's still a bit of a cross-chop, so it's not perfect, but this is the session with the most power behind it. The morning of the 12th of September also shows 5ft from the S, but the wind goes back to a gentler cross-onshore, making it a bit bumpy again.

Honestly, 15th Street is in a bit of a lull. There's no clean, glassy, pumping day to point at. The standouts are the 11th of September with that bigger, stronger S swell, and maybe the 3rd of September afternoon for the strong energy levels. But for clean waves with light offshores? Not in this window. It's a lean period.

Rusty.

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