Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here again. Let’s break down what’s coming in feet and miles per hour.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a solid pulse of swell hitting on Thursday, September 3rd, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The water is sitting at 56°F and that’s a notable 3°F colder than you’d expect for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

Lincoln City is the only spot on the menu. It’s an exposed beach and reef setup, fairly consistent, and picks up swell from the west. The best of the early action comes on Thursday morning, September 3rd. We’re looking at an 8ft WNW swell with a period of 11 seconds, and a cross-offshore wind from the south at 12 mph. The wave energy is pumping hard at 1872, so there’s plenty of power, but at that size it’s getting into the realm of “experts only.” The wind is clean, but the report flags it as marginal due to tide, so pick your session.

Friday morning, September 4th, is a different story. The swell drops to a far more manageable 5ft from the WNW, period at 10 seconds, and the wind swings to an offshore ENE breeze at just 3 mph. That’s your standout window for clean, user-friendly waves. The energy is still moderate at 668, and the conditions are described as “expect very good surf conditions.” This is the one to circle on the calendar. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have some company, but it won’t be a circus.

From there, the size drops away significantly. Saturday and Sunday, September 5th and 6th, see a long-period groundswell (16 seconds) from the SW, but it’s tiny – only 2ft to 3ft. The energy is weak (362-537). The winds are glassy on Saturday morning and calm on Sunday morning, so it’ll be clean, but you’ll be scratching for waves. It’s a long period swell, which means it’ll be walling up and closing out a bit at a beach break, but with such small height, it’s more of a longboard or a funboard session.

The middle of the week, from September 7th to 11th, is flat and poor. Swell heights hover around 2ft to 4ft, the wind is mostly cross-on or cross, and the wave energy is weak (well under 600). The period drops to a short 5-7 seconds on the 8th and 9th, which is just windswell chop. It’s a gap of several days with nothing to get excited about.

Things wake up again on Saturday, September 12th. A solid SSW swell pushes in, hitting 8ft to 10ft with a period of 11-12 seconds. The energy jumps back up to 1748-2034. This is big, powerful, and again, only for the experienced crew. The wind is light and variable on the morning, but turns cross-onshore from the NNW in the afternoon, making it a bit messy. It’s a standout for size, but not for quality.

The final week, from September 13th to 18th, is a long grind of NW windswell. The swell hangs around 4ft to 7ft, period is short (8-10 seconds), and the wind is a persistent cross-shore from the NNW. The energy is moderate (364-813). It’s consistent, but the quality is poor – the reports call it “marginal” or “poor” for most sessions. The wind won’t go offshore, and the short period means choppy, weak waves. It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but nothing is a standout.

Best Bet: Friday morning, September 4th. 5ft WNW swell, clean offshore wind, and moderate energy. It’s the most user-friendly and cleanest window in the whole 16 days.

Rusty

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