Lincoln City Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the surf stretch ahead for Lincoln City. Honestly, mate, it’s a pretty quiet run for the next couple of weeks. The swell’s mostly small and the wind’s got a nasty cross-onshore habit that’s gonna keep things messy for a while.

We start off on Tuesday, August 11, with tiny 1.3 ft swell coming from the SW, period around 14 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which usually means some shape, but the combined energy is only 138 (weak), and with a 15 km/h cross-onshore breeze out of the NNW, it’s just choppy, poor surf. Don’t bother. Wednesday through Friday (12th to 14th) is more of the same—waist-high stuff around 3.3 ft to 4.3 ft, mostly from the NW, period a short 7 seconds, so it’s weak, bumpy, and the energy is moderate at best (values between 235 and 307). The wind stays annoyingly cross-onshore. Not worth paddling for.

Now, there’s a gap of a few days where things don’t get any better. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th see the swell drop back to 2.0 ft, still SW, but with some occasional onshore wind—energy climbs a bit (up to 364) but the conditions are marginal, tide-dependant at best. Still not a standout.

But look here—Monday morning, August 17, things finally turn. That’s the best on offer. We get a glassy morning with the wind going flat calm, a 2.0 ft SW swell (14-second period, groundswell), and the combined energy sits at 216 (weak, but clean matters more). For a mellow longboard or a fun foil session, this is your window. It’s gonna be clean, and with the long period, the sets will be spaced but groomed. Lincoln City (Oregon) is a beach and reef setup, and this swell direction from SW matches the optimum direction—west, so it’s a good angle for the break. Crowds? Only sometimes, so you might have some company, but not a zoo. Just keep it on the glassy morning—afternoon goes cross-shore and loses the magic.

After that, it’s a slow grind through the rest of the week. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th see the swell nudge up to 3.6 ft from the WNW, period 11 to 12 seconds (moderate groundswell), with energy kicking into the 400s and 500s (moderate to strong wave energy). But the wind stays cross-onshore, light but annoying. Conditions are marginal. Thursday the 20th has a morning with onshore wind and a clean-ish look with that same 3.6 ft WNW swell, but it’s still not a standout with that cross-onshore in the arvo.

From Friday the 21st all the way through to Wednesday the 26th, the swell bounces around from 2.0 ft to 5.2 ft, but the wind never cooperates—mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the periods get short again (8 to 9 seconds), making for choppy, poor surf. The energy for the bigger stuff (5.2 ft on Monday the 24th) hits 457 (moderate), but with NNW cross-winds at 20 km/h, it’s just a mess. Honestly, for that last week, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing—the beach and reef setup with that consistent cross-wind will let you fly, but for a wave rider, it’s a blank.

So if you’re keen, pencil in Monday morning, August 17, for the most promising session—clean, glassy, small but workable. Everything else is a pass. Stay patient.

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