Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Honestly, looking at the next 16 days for Lincoln City, it’s a bit of a tough stretch. The whole period is plagued by cross-onshore winds and the swell is rarely lining up right. The water is sitting at 54°, which is a solid 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a notable chill, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

We kick off on Monday, July 20th, with a 5ft NW swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a cross-on from the NNW at 6 mph. The wave energy is moderate (502), but the conditions are just marginal. That pretty much sets the tone for the first week.

Tuesday morning, July 21st, has a tiny 2ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, but the wind is onshore. The energy is still moderate (477). The rest of the week through to the 24th sees small, short-period NW swells, always with that cross-onshore wind. It’s consistently marginal to poor.

The best chance for a surf comes on Saturday, July 25th, in the afternoon. That’s about the only real standout in the whole window. We’ve got a 3ft SW groundswell with a very long 21-second period pushing in. The combined energy is strong (764). The wind goes light from the WNW, so it’s just a light cross-onshore breeze. That long period will make the waves more powerful and clean at the right spots, but it’ll be a bit inconsistent between sets. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best of a bad run.

After that, Sunday the 26th through the end of July and into August is a frustrating run. The swell stays small, mostly 2ft to 3ft, and the wind stays stubbornly cross-on or cross-shore from the NNW. The wave energy drops from moderate to weak (down to 210 by August 1st). The long-period swells are gone, replaced by short, choppy junk. By August 4th, the swell tries to pick up to 6ft from the NNW, but with a short 7-second period and moderate cross-shore winds, it’s just a messy, blown-out wall. For a beach and reef setup, that’s more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

So, to sum it up: there’s a pretty big gap of days with no real recommendation. The only semi-promising session is the afternoon of Saturday, July 25th. It’s a long-range call, so don’t bank on it, but if the wind holds, you might scratch out a few clean ones. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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