Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got lined up for Lincoln City over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – the start is a bit of a slow burn. The first proper, half-decent window doesn't show up until mid-month, so don’t rush to wax up just yet. There's a lot of small, choppy days to sit through before we get anything worth paddling for.

The combined swell energy stays weak to moderate through the first week, only just pushing into three-digit figures, but it’s mostly disorganised. Winds are stuck in a cross-onshore groove, keeping things bumpy. The water temp – well, there isn’t a specific anomaly number in the data for this spot, so I’d say it’s likely running about average for late summer on the Oregon coast.

Looking at Thursday, August 13th through to the start of the following week, it’s a no-go. Tiny swell and that persistent cross-onshore breeze mean the surface is poor. You’re looking at swell heights of 1ft to 4ft, but with weak energy and short, choppy periods. Not worth getting wet.

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th offer a glimmer, but it’s only a marginal call. The swell is still small, around 2ft to 4ft, with a mixed bag of directions, and that cross-onshore wind just won't ease up. The energy is still weak. You might get a knee-high roller, but it’ll be a struggle.

Sunday the 16th is much the same story – marginal at best. Still small (2ft to 2ft) and light cross-winds. The swell period is picking up to 14-16 seconds, which suggests some longer lines, but the height is just too small to make much of it.

Now, let's jump ahead. Things start to look a bit more interesting around Wednesday, August 19th. The combined swell energy jumps into the moderate range, with a 3ft swell from the WNW at a solid 12-second period. Still cross-onshore in the morning, but it's a step up in power.

The real standout, and the pick of the period by a long shot, is Thursday, August 20th. Lincoln City will be the spot to aim for. We’ve got a 5ft swell out of the WNW, period of 11 seconds, and the wind shifts to a light offshore from the WNW in the morning. That’s clean conditions, boys. The combined swell energy hits a solid moderate-to-strong range. The swell direction matches the optimum from the west. This is the best window on the cards. It's still in the intermediate zone, not too big for a confident surfer, and with the light offshore, it’ll be clean.

Friday the 21st is a step down, but still rideable. Swell drops to 4ft-5ft, period drops to 9-10 seconds, and we’re back to a cross-onshore breeze. Marginal. Saturday the 22nd onwards, it fades again to knee-high junk.

Check out the very end of the run – Friday, August 28th. The morning looks *glassy* with a light offshore from the SW. There's a 2ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is moderate. It's a long way out, but a glassy morning on a long-period groundswell, even if it's small, is worth putting a pin in. Don't bet the house on it yet, but keep an eye on the forecast.

Best bet: Thursday August 20th, morning session. Clean lines, proper swell. Don't sleep on it.

- Rusty

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