Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Ocean Beach Pier over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim run for the next week and a bit. There’s a massive hole of nothing much worth paddling out for from now right through until around the end of August. We’re looking at a solid 10 to 11 days where the surf is either poor or barely marginal, so don’t bother rushing down. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1 ft to 3 ft, and while the period is often long (14 to 19 seconds) which suggests some energy, the size just isn’t there. On top of that, the wind is mostly straight onshore (from the W or WNW), which is a killer for a beach and reef setup like this. The combined energy is weak to moderate, often sitting under 400, so there’s no push. Water temps are around average for the time of year, so nothing weird there.

The first real glimmer of hope comes right at the very end of the forecast – Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th. We start seeing the swell bump up to 3 ft – 3 ft from the SW, with periods hanging in the 15 to 17 second range. That’s proper groundswell. Combined energy jumps up to over 500, which is solid moderate energy. The winds are still onshore, but they’re lighter, especially on the Sunday morning when it’s just a light breeze from the WSW. That’s the best you’re going to get – a little more size, decent long-period groundswell, and cleaner conditions. It’s still not epic, but it’s the closest thing to a standout in this entire 16-day window.

If you’re an intermediate and can handle a beach break with a bit of an onshore bump, the Sunday the 30th morning is your window. Expect waves around 3 ft. The swell direction is SW, which is right in the zone for this break. It’s consistent, so there will be waves, but don’t expect perfection. Crowds are often there, so expect company. The combo of a long period (15 seconds) and an onshore wind will mean the waves might be a little lumpy and break a bit too straight for the sandbars, but it’s better than the flat spell we’ve been through.

After that, into the first few days of September, the swell drops back down again, and we’re back to marginal junk. There’s one morning on Tuesday, September 1st with a 4 ft W swell but only an 8-second period. That’s short-period, windswell garbage – all chop and no shape – and the wind is cross-on, so it’s a messy, gutless affair. Best left to the kites, honestly.

So, to sum it up: forget the next week and a half. The only semi-decent window is the last weekend of August, with the best bet being the Sunday morning (August 30th). It’s not a classic, but it’s the pick of a very lean bunch.

Rusty.

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