Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright. Rusty here. Let’s talk about the surf outlook for Lincoln City.

Honestly, this 16-day stretch is a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a long, quiet start with no real surf to get excited about. The first couple of weeks are filled with marginal to poor conditions, and it’s not until late in the run that we finally see something worth paddling out for.

Alright, so for the first week, from the 16th right through to around the 23rd, it’s going to be a grind. Swell heights hover around the 2 ft to 4 ft mark, a mix of SW and WNW swells, but the real killer is the wind. It’s mostly cross-onshore from the NNW at 6 to 12 mph, which is just making a mess of the surface for the beach and reef setup here. The combined swell energy is consistently weak, bouncing between 239 and 569, which tells you there's just no guts in it. The water temperature is a real kicker too, coming in at 53°F, which is a massive 6°F colder than what’s normal for this time of year... that’s way outside the usual range, so expect a serious chill.

There’s a slight flicker of hope around the 19th and 20th, when the swell bumps up to about 4 ft to 4 ft from the WNW, with a period around 11 to 12 seconds. It’s still not great, but the wind does ease to a light breeze on the 20th morning, so that cross-on chop might settle a little. Still, it's a marginal call at best.

After the 21st, things get messy again. We see a drop in period on the 21st and 22nd, down to 8 or 9 seconds, and the swell gets all jumbled with onshore winds from the W and SW. This is the kind of setup that might be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, to be honest.

Then we hit a bit of a blank spot again from the 22nd through the 26th, with nothing but poor or marginal calls. The swell picks up on the 23rd afternoon hitting 6 ft, but it comes with NNW winds at 16 mph, and that’s just blown-out, cross-shore chop. The period is a pathetic 6 seconds, so you’re looking at weak, bumpy junk.

Now, here’s the one that catches my eye. On the 27th of August, Thursday, we start to see something building. The afternoon shows a solid 7 ft swell from the NW, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy finally gets some legs to it, hitting 799. The wind is cross-shore from the NNW at 9 mph, so it’s not glassy, but it’s manageable. This is the biggest swell of the entire 16-day window. At 7 ft, this is for the more experienced crew; beginners should sit this one out. It’s not perfect, but it is the standout moment in a long, otherwise flat or choppy run.

Following that, the 31st of August has a bit of potential too, with a 5 ft swell from the W at 11 seconds and a combined energy of 872, but the cross-shore wind is still there. It’s a maybe, but the 27th afternoon is the best shot you’ve got.

So, there you have it. A long, lean run, but a chance of redemption late in the day if you’re willing to wait.

Rusty.

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