Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, cobber, Rusty here. Lookin’ at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and it’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a long, quiet stretch ahead before any real action kicks off. Let’s get into it.

We start off with a bit of a flat spell. From Saturday the 29th of August right through to Monday the 7th of September, it’s pretty grim. Small swell, mostly cross-onshore wind, and a lot of “poor surf conditions”. Morning sessions are the only real sniff, and even then, they’re only rated as “marginal” with questionable tides. You’ll see a few 3 ft to 4 ft SW groundswells rolling in with a period around 14-16 seconds, but the wind is just messy. A light breeze now and then keeps the ripples down, but it’s not enough to call it good. The combined wave energy is moderate at best, sitting between 277 and 790 – nothing to get excited about.

The first real standout of the forecast window is Monday the 7th of September. The morning starts with a 5 ft SSW swell at 13 seconds (moderate period), and the situation improves into the afternoon. By Monday arvo, the swell pushes up to 6 ft from the SSW, period is still 13 seconds, and the wave energy ramps up to a solid 1031. The wind is a light cross-onshore breeze, which will keep things reasonably tidy. It’s a beach and reef setup here at Ocean Beach Pier, so it’s exposed and will pick up that energy. It’s still a bit marginal for a full standout, but it’s the best we’ve seen all week.

Then, the big one. Tuesday the 8th of September is where we get the standout. The morning brings a 8 ft SSW swell with a 13-second period, and wave energy jumps to 1862 – that’s strong, for sure. But the afternoon is where it’s at: a whopping 12 ft swell from the SSW, period at 11 seconds, and the combined energy is 3305 – that’s very strong. Look, this is only for experts. The swell is over 8 ft, so beginners and even most intermediates should stay well clear. The wind is a gentle cross-onshore, so the sets will have a bit of bump on them, but with that size you’ll be looking for the channel. For the hardcore crew, this is the session to circle on the calendar. It’s the standout of the whole forecast.

After that, it drops off fast. From Wednesday the 9th through to the end of the outlook on the 13th of September, we’re back to small surf. The 9th has a 5 ft SSW swell in the morning but the period drops to 7 seconds – that’s short period wind swell, not a proper groundswell. Then it’s all downhill from there, with waves around 2 ft to 3 ft, cross-onshore winds again, and poor conditions. The combined energy drops below 500, which is just weak.

On the water temp: When we do get a swell, say on that Tuesday the 8th, the water at Ocean Beach Pier is sitting at a very unusual 76°F – that’s 8°F warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. Definitely grab the spring suit or even just boardshorts if you’ve got the tolerance.

Crowds: Ocean Beach Pier is a spot that’s “often” crowded. With that big swell on the 8th, expect plenty of people out. It’s a consistent spot, so you won’t be alone on the big day.

So, to sum it up: a long quiet start, then a couple of solid days around the 7th and 8th of September, with the Tuesday arvo being the true standout for experts only. After that, it goes quiet again.

Rusty.

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