Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into this forecast for Lincoln City.

Right now, the outlook is a bit of a mixed bag. The water is running *much colder than normal* for late August, sitting at about 54°, which is a solid 6° below average. That’s a shock to the system if you’re not ready for it.

The first few days are pretty grim for waves. August 29th and 30th offer very small swell, around 1ft to 2ft, with cross-onshore winds making things choppy. The wave energy is weak to moderate (230 to 422), and the long 16-18 second periods mean these are groundswells, but there’s just not enough height to make it worthwhile. You’d be scratching for dribblers.

Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September bring slightly more size, up to 4ft, but still with light cross-onshore breezes and sub-par quality. The energy picks up into the moderate range (417-522), but the “marginal” comments tell you it’s not going to be clean.

The biggest swell of the period rolls in on Wednesday the 2nd September. We’re looking at a spike to 10ft in the afternoon, with a strong wave energy reading of 1211. That’s a powerful SSW swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds, and it’s being hammered by a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind. That setup is going to be lumpy, messy, and frankly, dangerous for anyone but experts. Honestly, with that much wind and chop, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than a paddle session.

Thursday the 3rd sees the swell drop to a more manageable 4ft to 6ft, and we finally get a clean window: Thursday afternoon shows a light onshore wind from the W, with a 10-second WNW swell and energy of 640. It’s still rated as marginal, but the wind is light.

The real standout, and the best bet in this 16-day window, is Saturday morning, September 5th. We get a glassy, glassing morning with a 2ft SW groundswell, long 16-second period, and no wind. The wave energy is moderate at 469. It won’t be big, but the combination of a clean, glassy surface and that long-period groundswell will produce some tidy, lined-up waves at this exposed beach and reef setup. Keep in mind, the crowds are *sometimes* an issue here, so dawn patrol is your friend.

Sunday morning, September 6th, also looks promising with another glass session: 2ft, 15-second SW swell, and light wind. The energy is 358, so a smaller version of Saturday.

The second week is quieter. Monday the 7th through Wednesday the 10th has tiny waves (2ft to 3ft) with periods dropping off, and mostly poor wind states. Energy is low.

Friday morning, September 11th, is the other highlight, about two weeks out. The forecast shows a glassy morning with a 4ft NW groundswell, 10-second period, and solid wave energy of 599. It’s rated as “very good surf conditions” and has the best score of the entire run. Winds are calm, so it should be clean. The swell direction (NW) matches the optimum for Lincoln City, which is a bonus. This one is promising, but being that far out, keep an eye on the forecasts as it gets closer.

Rusty.

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