Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good hard look at what's cookin' for Ocean Beach Pier over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, it's a bleak stretch.

The overall picture is pretty flat and disappointing. The water is sitting at 75°F and that's a huge 7°F warmer than normal for this time of year – the ocean feels like a bathtub. But warmer water doesn't mean better waves.

We've got a little pulse arriving Wednesday, July 29th. Both the afternoon and the following morning, Thursday the 30th, are the only things on the menu that are even worth a mention. You're looking at a 4ft southwest groundswell with a long period of 16 seconds. That kind of period means better-shaped waves and more energy, but it can also make a beach break like this close out straight. Still, the combined wave energy is sitting at 758 (moderate energy), and with a clean, offshore west wind at 6-9 mph, the surface should be glassy. It's the biggest and cleanest we'll see all period. The crowd factor is "often," so expect company at this one small window. After that, it's a rapid decline.

From Friday the 31st onwards, the swell just drops out. The combined energy plummets from 642 down into the low hundreds, with swell heights barely scraping 3ft to 1ft. The wind goes onshore or cross-onshore, creating those light wind ripples. For days on end we see "poor surf conditions" and scores of zero. There's a long, dry gap here.

Around Friday, August 7th, we see a funky spike in period – a 19-second south swell – but it's only 2ft. The energy jumps to 386 (moderate), but the swell height is just too tiny to do anything with a period that long. It'll just be a slow-motion bump on the horizon. The wind is offshore, so the surface will look nice, but there's no push behind it. We see a similar tease on Monday, August 10th, with a 1ft swell at a very long 20 seconds (303 energy). Again, too small. The rest of the second week is a sorry mix of tiny 2ft-3ft southwest windswell with gentle cross-onshore breezes. It's not worth getting the wetsuit wet for.

So the one and only true standout here is Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th. If you can get out then for that 4ft SW swell with clean offshore wind, you might snag a few long, lined-up waves. After that? Tune back in next forecast. This is a real bummer for a spot that can be consistent. Rusty.

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