Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get into it for Lincoln City.

To be straight with you, the start of this period is a write-off. Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th have weak, choppy, onshore-crumbled 2ft to 5ft swell with cross-onshore winds ruining any chance of a clean wave. The combined energy is moderate at best (371–628), but the onshore wind is the killer. There's honestly nothing worth paddling out for on Friday or Saturday, or Sunday the 12th for that matter.

We get a minor uptick in swell over the following week, but the wind remains stubbornly cross or cross-onshore from the NNW, keeping conditions messy. The period gets long—15 seconds and beyond from the 14th onwards—which gives the waves some shape down the line, but the wind just won’t play ball. Most of this week is a frustrating mix of 1ft to 3ft cross-swell with moderate energy (253–766) and a persistent chop. It's not surfable for a paddle surfer. Honestly, the whole setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than a prone session. By Wednesday the 15th, the wind picks up to 19 mph, creating a messy lumpy cross-chop.

Now, the second week is where we finally see some size. From Monday the 20th through to Saturday the 25th, the swell builds steadily, hitting 5ft to 7ft from the NW. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (531–928), so there’s proper power in the water. The problem is the period is short—7 to 9 seconds—so it’s going to be a bit of a jumbled, short-period windswell. The wind is still a factor, mostly cross or cross-onshore from the NNW, so expect a bumpy surface even at size. For a beach and reef setup like Lincoln City, this means waves that close out quickly and are hard to read. With swell over 5ft, this is too big for beginners, and by Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd, the 7ft mark is expert-only territory.

If I had to pick the absolute best of a rough batch, I'd hold out for Monday the 21st of July. The swell holds at a solid 6ft from the NW (8-second period), and on Tuesday morning the wind drops to a light breeze from the NNW, making for the cleanest conditions of the entire run. The combined energy is strong (640), and while the short period will make it bowly, you’re getting the best combo of size and least wind mess. After that, the rest remains marginal at best. It's a tough outlook, but sometimes you just have to wait for that window.

Rusty.

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