Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what Lincoln City has cookin’ over the next couple weeks. Gotta be honest from the start—this stretch looks pretty flat and raw for the most part. The ocean’s gonna be throwing a mix of wind and chop at us, not much real wave power to get excited about. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up till Sunday afternoon, July 5th, and even then it’s a tough one.

So, here’s the deal: Sunday afternoon, July 5th, we see some northwest swell at 6 ft, period short at 7 seconds. That’s windswell, plain and simple, with combined energy around 610 (moderate). Problem is, the wind’s blowin’ 25 km/h from the NNW, cross-shore, and it’s creating a nasty cross-chop. The water’s running 55°, which is a solid 4° colder than normal for this time of year—brrr. Not a day for beginners, unless you like a beating. I’d call it a pass.

Monday, July 6th, the swell drops a notch to 6 ft in the morning, still NW, still short period. Cross-onshore winds at 15 km/h, choppy conditions. Afternoon sees the period stretch to 11 seconds but the wind picks up and the wave comment says poor. Tuesday and Wednesday stay in the marginal zone—waist-high stuff, mostly onshore, not worth paddling out for more than a stretch.

Now, I see a faint glimmer on Friday morning, July 10th. At first light we’ve got offshore wind from the west at just 5 km/h, with a small 2 ft swell from the southwest, long period at 15 seconds. Energy’s a weak 418. That long period means better shape, and with the wind offshore, conditions could be glassy and clean. But the swell’s tiny. If you’re a longboarder or love a mellow glide, this could be your quiet window. Not a standout—more like a gentle tease.

The rest of that week and into the next stays in the poor-to-marginal zone. We get a few bumps around 4 ft to 5 ft but always with cross or cross-onshore winds. The ocean just never cleans up. Crowds? At a beach-and-reef spot like Lincoln City that’s “sometimes” busy, you won’t have to worry about company with this quality.

Looking farther out, around July 16th and 17th (that’s Thursday and Friday, more than a week away), there’s a long period groundswell from the west-northwest with periods of 16–18 seconds and combined energy hitting 1118 (strong). Swell heights stay small though, 3 ft. Winds look gentler—light breeze on the 17th morning, cross-onshore. That’s a promising signal for clean, long lines if it holds, but it’s a long way out and models can change. If you’re a point break or reef kinda surfer, that longer period might actually wrap in nicely here, but at a beach break it could break too straight. Still, worth bookmarking.

Honestly, Lincoln City isn’t serving up much in this forecast. Most days are blown out or too small. If you’re really jonesing, the best bet is probably that Friday morning, July 10th, with the offshore wind—glass, small, and all yours. Otherwise, I’d wait and watch for updates. The ocean’s got a way of surprising us.

Stay salty,
Rusty.

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