Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for Lincoln City, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead. We’ve got a solid 16-day window, but the surf is looking pretty marginal for most of it. There’s a real lack of quality, so let's not sugarcoat it.

First up, we’ve got a small window of surfable – but not great – waves starting Sunday, July 26th. Lincoln City is a beach and reef setup, and it’s exposed to the west. The swell is coming from the southwest, which is a fair direction, but the size is tiny, around 3 ft, and the period is a very long 20 seconds. That long period stuff is usually better for points and reefs than a beach break, so it might be a bit too straight and tricky to really line up. The wind is a light cross-on from the southwest at 6 mph, which keeps it clean-ish, but the real problem is the lack of energy. The combined energy is only 784, which is weak. It’s a beginner-friendly size, but it’s not going to be thrilling.

The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

Monday, July 27th through Thursday, July 30th is more of the same – tiny southwest swell, 2 ft to 3 ft, with periods dropping from 18 seconds down to 16. The wind stays light and cross-on, but the energy keeps dropping. By Friday, July 31st, the swell really fades, dropping to 2 ft with a period of 15 seconds, and the energy plumets to 225. From there, it’s a dead zone. From Saturday, August 1st right through to Monday, August 10th, every single entry is flagged as "poor surf conditions." The wind gets stronger, mostly cross-shore from the NNW at 12 to 15 mph, and the swell is a mix of tiny to moderate but with horrible, short periods. You’ll see a pulse of 6 ft on Monday, August 3rd, but it’s a 6-second period windswell – that’s just a messy, choppy onshore mess. It’s not for surfing. The combined energy for that is 349, which is still weak, but the wind will make it a washing machine. Honestly, with that setup, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The one half-decent window is Sunday, August 2nd. The swell picks up a bit to 4 ft from the WNW with a 10-second period. The combined energy is 439 – still moderate, but it’s something. The wind is a light cross-shore from the NNW at 9 mph, so it’s not clean, but it’s not ruining it either. It’s the best on offer, but that’s not saying much. It’s still a far cry from epic.

So, the bottom line: there are no standouts. The first few days are tiny and weak, and the rest is blown out. If you’re desperate, the morning of Sunday, August 2nd might give you a few grovelly ones, but don’t get your hopes up. The long gap of poor surf from August 1st onward is a real bummer, but this is Oregon in summer – it can be fickle. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, I’d be giving the board a rest.

Rusty.

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