Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks is shaping up to be at Lincoln City. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim run for the most part. We’re looking at a long stretch of nothing much, with a promising but distant pulse of swell showing up way down the line.

The water temperature at Lincoln City is sitting at a very unusual 51°, which is a massive 8° colder than normal for this time of year. That’s not just a little chilly, that’s a full-on winter wetsuit, shivering-between-sets kind of cold.

Alright, let’s walk through it. The first recommendation isn’t until Sunday, the 23rd of August. The morning shows a little bump of 4ft from the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 241, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be great. It’s a marginal call at best, and the afternoon cleans up with a clear sky but the wind strengthens to a moderate cross-shore, making it pretty choppy for a 3ft, 7-second swell.

The next days are a real slog. Monday the 24th has a tiny 2ft, long-period 18-second swell from the SW, but it’s cross-shore wind, so not doing much. Tuesday the 25th offers a similar 2ft SW swell, with a light onshore wind in the morning – again, just marginal. This pattern of small, wind-affected surf drags on. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and into the weekend of the 30th and 31st of August, it’s all the same story: small waves, cross-onshore winds, and poor conditions. The combined energy stays in the 200-360 range, which is weak to moderate, but it’s wasted on messy, choppy faces. There’s a big gap of days here where you’re better off doing something else.

Now, the one bright spot on the horizon. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, the 1st of September. The morning brings a solid 7ft swell from the NW, with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a strong 1177. The wind is light and cross-on, which isn’t perfect, but it’s a significant step up. This is a big swell, over 8ft, so it’s really only for the experienced crew. The afternoon sees the swell drop to 7ft, but the wind swings to a moderate cross-shore, which will chop it up.

The rest of the first week of September looks decent on paper but gets let down by the wind. Wednesday the 2nd has a 4ft WNW swell, but it’s cross-shore and choppy. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th both have overhead 7ft to 7ft NW swells, with combined energy in the 688 to 808 range. Friday morning and afternoon actually have light cross-onshore winds, which might be the cleanest of this whole late period, but it’s still a bit bumpy. The swell direction is NW, and the optimum swell direction for Lincoln City is from the W, so it’s a bit off the mark.

The swell fades out over the weekend of the 5th and 6th of September, with 5ft to 4ft NW swells and light to gentle cross-onshore winds, bringing it back to a poor state.

The standout here is the Tuesday the 1st of September morning. The swell is the biggest of the whole period, and the energy is strong. It’s the most interesting wave energy we see. The rest is a long wait with a lot of junk to paddle through. If you’re a beginner, this period is a write-off. For the experts, the 1st of September is your window.

Stay warm, stay patient.

Rusty.

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