15th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at 15th Street.

The first week and a half is pretty grim. From Saturday the 18th through the middle of that following week, it’s just small, weak, and chopped up. Swell is barely breaking a foot or two, wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is pretty puny. Not much to write home about.

Things start to turn around a little around Friday the 24th. We start seeing some swell in the 4-5 ft range out of the south, with a period around 13 seconds. The combined swell energy jumps up into the strong range (1293). The morning has a light cross-onshore breeze – workable, but not perfect.

Your best shot at something halfway decent is Saturday the 25th in the morning. The swell hits about 5 ft (1.6m) from the SSW, period 14 seconds, with very strong energy (1519). That’s pushing into the big stuff, so it’s really for the experienced crew. The wind is light onshore, so it won’t be perfect, but it’ll have some push and power. That’s the one standout window in the whole 16 days.

From there, it’s a long slog of “meh.” The wave energy stays strong right through the end of the month, but the wind stays mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The swell direction swings from SSW to SW, and periods run anywhere from 13 to 19 seconds. There’s plenty of raw power in the water (strong to very strong, 1036–1784), but without a clean offshore wind, it’s going to be a bumpy, lumpy mess at the beach and reef.

The last few days – from the 30th on – fizzle out. Swell drops back down to 2-4 ft, the energy goes back to moderate, and the wind stays light but still onshore. By the 1st and 2nd of August, it’s back to being small, weak, and not worth the paddle.

So here’s the takeaway: if you’re chasing a wave, Saturday the 25th morning is the one to aim for. It’ll have the size and the grunt, but it’s gonna be crowded, and it’s not going to be glassy. That’s about the best we get this time around.

Rusty.

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