Imperial Pier (North and South) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here with the full lowdown for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming our way. For the first week or so, the surf is pretty marginal – small, a bit messy, and nothing to get too excited about. Most mornings start clean with light breezes, but the swell just isn’t packing enough punch to make it worth paddling out for most of us. There’s a real standout on the horizon though, but it’s a long way off, so don’t hold your breath just yet.

Let’s kick off with Imperial Pier (North and South). It’s a beginner-friendly spot, which is good news because for the first few days, the waves are small and honestly, a bit of a letdown. On Friday the 24th, we’ve got tiny 3 ft swell with a period of 24 seconds in the morning. That swell is very long period, so it’ll have tons of energy but might be a bit too straight for the pier. The water is sitting at 73 °F, which is a whopping 6 °F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so it’ll feel like a bath out there. The combined energy is a moderate 999, but the comment says it’s marginal, and I’d agree. It doesn’t look great. Winds are light and offshore from the WSW though, so the surface will be glassy in the mornings.

Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are more of the same, with swell hovering around 3 ft to 4 ft. The period drops a bit, but so does the energy. We start to see a light cross-onshore breeze on Sunday, bringing a few ripples. The water temperature anomaly is still there, but we don't have a specific number for these days.

Monday the 27th sees a small bump, with the swell hitting 5 ft from the SSW by the morning. That’s the biggest we’ve seen so far, with the combined energy climbing to a moderate 1279. But the wind swings a bit stronger and cross-onshore, making things fairly choppy. It’s surfable, but not pretty.

Tuesday the 28th is similar – 5 ft swell, moderate energy around 1311, but the wind is cross-shore, creating a slight cross-chop. Still, it’s not clean.

Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are a bit of a slog. The swell stays between 4 ft and 5 ft, but the period is dropping into the 14-15 second range. The wind is mostly light, but it’s cross-onshore, so there’s always a bit of texture on the face. The morning of Thursday the 30th has a 5 ft swell with 1345 energy, but it’s not clicking.

Now, hold on to your board, because Friday the 31st of July is the real standout, and it’s nearly a full week away. This is the one to circle on your calendar. The swell jumps to a solid 7 ft from the south, with a 14-second period. The combined energy is strong, hitting 1621 in the morning and 1708 in the afternoon. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW, switching to a light westerly in the afternoon, so the surface will be glassy and clean. The guidance flags that this swell might actually be too big for the break – over 5 ft is pushing it for beginners, and at 7 ft it’s getting into expert territory. But for those with the skills, this is looking like the best window of the entire forecast. The offshore wind and solid south swell are a major positive. If you can get out, this will be the day to be at the Pier.

After that peak, the weekend of August 1st and 2nd drops off considerably. Swell drops to 6 ft on Saturday, but with a cross-onshore breeze it gets choppy. By Sunday the 2nd, we’re back to 4 ft and the energy has fallen off a cliff to just 510. The wind is offshore again, but the swell is small and period is short.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday the 3rd of August all the way through to Saturday the 8th of August, it’s a total write-off. The swell is tiny, never above 2 ft, and the combined energy is weak, dropping from 251 down to just 117 by the 8th. Winds are mostly cross-onshore and moderate, making it choppy. The guidance is calling these “poor surf conditions” with scores of 0. Honestly, for a beach break like this, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this period. It’s a long, quiet run with nothing to recommend.

Stay patient. That Friday the 31st is the one to aim for if you can handle the size.

Rusty

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