Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the surf outlook for Lincoln City. It's a bit of a slow burner this time, so don't get too amped just yet.

The next week or so is looking pretty flat and messy. We've got a long stretch from now right through the end of August where the swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and it's coming from the SW with a long 14 to 16 second period. That's a groundswell, but there's just no size to get excited about. The wind is mostly a light cross-onshore, which isn't helping to clean things up. The combined wave energy is struggling, sitting in the low to mid 200s, which is pretty weak. Honestly, this stretch is a right-off, with the Thursday the 27th looking particularly poor. The water temp is a freezing 48°, which is a massive 12° colder than average for this time of year—that's seriously unusual.

We start seeing something change around Tuesday the 1st of September. The swell direction swings to the NW, and the height bumps up to 4ft, but the period drops right off to a short 9 seconds, meaning weak, lumpy waves. It's still marginal.

The real story starts to build from Wednesday the 2nd of September. That NW swell starts to fill in properly. By Thursday the 3rd of September, we're looking at a 6ft to 7ft swell from the WNW with a decent 10 to 11 second period, pushing the combined energy into a solid moderate range—first 992 then up to 1386. The wind is still cross-shore, which will leave it a bit bumpy, but this is where things get interesting for competent surfers. It's still a bit of a miss for totally clean conditions.

The standout window has to be Monday the 7th of September. We get a 7ft NW swell, and the wind goes completely glassy—0 km/h from the SSW in the morning. The combined energy is a solid 765, and the period is a clean 9 seconds. That's the best combination of size, power, and clean conditions we'll see. For anyone who can handle a beach break and a bit of a crowd (it can get busy here), that Monday morning is the one to circle on the calendar.

This beach-and-reef setup at Lincoln City will handle the NW swell, but keep in mind that with a period under 11 seconds, it won't be that drawn-out, perfect point break wave. It'll be more of a punchy, fun beachie. Given the size is right at the 7ft mark, it's not for beginners. After that stint of glassy conditions, the following days drop back into the 5ft to 6ft range with the wind turning a bit onshore again.

So, my call is clear: the first week is a write-off. The end of the first week in September has size but messy winds. The true standout is Monday the 7th of September morning for that clean, glassy, moderate-sized NW swell. Don't hold your breath for the rest of it.

Rusty.

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