Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Lincoln City’s got cooking. Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, with not a lot of quality to get excited about early on. We’ve got a long stretch of small, wind-affected surf before a late burst of bigger, more powerful swell shows up in the second week.

Right now, it’s looking pretty flat and messy. The first solid chance to get wet doesn’t really come until Sunday the 5th of July. The swell will be about 6 ft from the NW, but with the wind cranking 15 mph from the NNW, it’s gonna be cross-chop city. That’s not the kind of surf you call your mates about.

Monday the 6th holds a bit more size – around 5 ft to 6 ft from the NW – and the period stretches out to 11 seconds, so there’s a bit more push in the water. The combined energy of all swells directed here is moderate (around 936 for the morning). Problem is, the wind stays cross or cross-onshore, so it’s going to be choppy and a struggle to find a clean face. Not a standout, just something to keep an eye on.

The water temp is 54°, which is a whopping 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s much colder than expected, so you’ll want a thick suit for Lincoln City (Oregon). The anomaly is very unusual.

Through the rest of the first week and into the second, we get a mix of small, weak swell and persistent NNW winds. Swell heights hang around 2 ft to 4 ft, mostly from the WNW or SW, with periods bouncing from 9 to 18 seconds. That long-period stuff from the SW on Wednesday the 8th (2 ft, 18 seconds, 554 combined energy) is super weak and isn’t going to do much at a beach-and-reef spot like this – it’ll be too straight. Mostly cross and cross-on winds keep things bumpy.

Honestly, there’s a big gap of nothing really worth paddling out for. From Thursday the 9th right through to Friday the 17th, it’s all marginal at best – scores are low, and the combination of small swell and poor winds means you’re better off doing something else.

Now, the one true standout shows up on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of July. We see a solid pulse of NW swell building from 7 ft on Saturday morning up to 8 ft by Sunday. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (1243 on Saturday afternoon, 1558 on Sunday morning). The period is around 8-10 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell – not the cleanest groundswell, but there’s plenty of power. Winds are still from the NNW at 9 to 15 mph, mostly cross, so it’s not glassy. At 8 ft, this is expert-only territory – too big for beginners. The break is fairly consistent and exposed to the W, which is what this swell is coming from. Lincoln City can handle that size, but expect it to be a handful. Crowds are possible though, especially on a Saturday.

For the kite surfers out there, with the persistent cross-shore winds and solid swell on the 18th and 19th, the setup might actually be more interesting for you than for paddle surfing.

So in short: the first week plus a bit is a write-off. The best bet is the weekend of the 18th and 19th of July, with solid NW swell and cross wind. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only serious swell on offer.

Stay hopeful. Forecasts can change.

Rusty

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