Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been looking at the charts for Lincoln City.

Honestly, it’s a pretty bleak 16 days. The surf is there, but it’s been a real fight to find anything good. There’s no single day that stands out as a winner. The wind is nearly always in the wrong spot, and the swell is messy.

The whole period has cross and cross-onshore winds. The water temp is about what you’d expect for the season, nothing wild.

Let’s start with what’s on the table. On Saturday the 18th, we’ve got a weak 3ft swell from the WNW, but the period is a very long 16 seconds. That’s a groundswell, which is good for shape, but it’s getting destroyed by a cross-on wind. The combined energy is moderate (688), but the report says “poor surf conditions,” so I’d leave the board at home.

Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th see a slight bump to 5ft - 6ft, but the period drops to a short 7-8 seconds. This is windswell, and with the cross-shore wind, it’s going to be a bumpy, weak mess. The energy is still moderate (522-645), but the wave state is “marginal” at best.

Tuesday the 21st is a total write-off, with a tiny 2ft swell and a long period that just isn’t enough to break.

The best of a bad lot looks like Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th. The swell builds to 6ft - 7ft from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. The energy picks up to moderate (603-866). But the wind is persistently cross-onshore, so the face will be chopped. This is a beach and reef setup, and with that cross-chop, it’s going to be a frustrating paddle. If you’re an intermediate who doesn’t mind battling the wind, there might be a few crumbly walls. Honestly, with that wind and the swell size, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing afternoon than a paddle session.

After that, the swell drops right off from the 25th of July. We get a few days of very long period groundswells (16-22 seconds) from the SW, but the heights are tiny – 2ft to 3ft. The energy is moderate (557-846), but with such small waves, it’s just not going to wrap in properly. The wind stays cross or cross-on, so it’s all a bit of a letdown.

The final few days, from the 30th of July, throw up a bit of a bump again – 6ft to 7ft from the NNW, but with a short period of 7-8 seconds. The wind is strong and cross-shore, so it’s going to be lumpy, powerful, and ugly. This is a drift-fest, not a surf session.

In short, there’s no one day to circle on the calendar. It’s a string of average to poor conditions. The forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a solid “wait and see” for Lincoln City.

- Rusty

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