Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this is a tough one for Lincoln City. We’re looking at a long stretch where the surf just isn’t cooperating. The first real recommendation doesn’t come until Tuesday morning, July 28th, and even then it’s a marginal call. The swell is small, coming from the southwest at 2ft with a long 16-second period, which would normally be promising, but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the SW at 10 km/h, keeping things a bit bumpy. The combined wave energy is moderate at 548. It’s not going to be a total write-off for the die-hards, but it’s a tough sell.

That pattern pretty much holds for the rest of the week. Wednesday the 29th through Friday the 31st see similar small swells, hovering around 2ft to 3ft, with periods mostly in the 14-17 second range, keeping that moderate energy. But the wind stays stubbornly cross-onshore or cross, and the forecast keeps calling it marginal or poor. It’s the kind of stuff that’ll have you sitting on the beach wondering if it’s worth paddling out.

We hit a bit of a shift on Saturday, August 1st. The morning shows a small 2ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, but the wind turns light offshore from the WNW at just 5 km/h. That’s a clean window, but the swell is tiny and the combined energy is weak (235). You’d need a longboard and a lot of patience.

Things get a bit more interesting, but not in a good way, heading into the second week. From Sunday, August 2nd, through Tuesday, August 4th, the swell bumps up to 4ft to 6ft, but the period drops to a short, weak 6-9 seconds and the winds are moderate to fresh cross-shore, churning up a lumpy, cross-chop mess. The wave energy is still moderate (between 311 and 374), but the quality is poor. For a beach-and-reef setup like Lincoln City, this is looking more like a kite-surfing session than a clean paddle session.

The best chance we get in the whole 16-day window shows up on Wednesday, August 5th. The morning brings a 7ft swell from the NW with an 8-second period, and the wind is a light cross-onshore from the NW at just 10 km/h. The combined energy is strong at 542. This is solid, punchy beach-break power, but that 7ft is getting into the too-big-for-beginners zone. The afternoon bumps it up to 8ft, so it’s really only for the experienced crew. It’s the standout of the forecast, but it’s still a marginal call due to that short period and the cross-onshore wind.

After that, it fades again. From Thursday, August 6th, through Sunday, August 9th, it’s back to poor conditions with cross-shore or cross-onshore winds and inconsistent, short-period swells. Monday, August 10th, shows a 3ft swell with a 10-second period, but the wind kicks up again, keeping it marginal at best.

Finally, on Tuesday, August 11th, the morning session has a 3ft swell from the west with a long 15-second period and a light cross-shore breeze. The combined energy is moderate (605). It’s a clean look, but the swell is tiny. The afternoon brings a bigger 6ft swell from the NNW, but it’s a short 6-second period with a moderate cross-shore wind, so it’ll be choppy and messy.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a desperate hunt for small, clean windows. The standout is Wednesday, August 5th, for bigger, more powerful surf, but it’s only for the experienced and the wind isn’t ideal. The rest is a lot of waiting. It’s a tough run for Lincoln City, but the forecasts can change.

Rusty.

Read more