Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, crew. Rusty here. Let's be straight with you—this is a tough stretch for Ocean Beach Pier. We've got a 16-day window staring at us, and honestly, it's a long, flat, and frustrating run. The swell is tiny, the wind is rarely doing us any favors, and the scores are just not there. There's a real gap of several days where you're better off doing something else. We're looking at a whole lot of "poor surf conditions" and "marginal" calls. The only flicker of hope comes right at the very end, but it's a long wait.

Right now, starting Wednesday the 19th of August, we're in a lull. The swell is a measly 3ft from the SW with a long period of 16 seconds, but it's a weak, messy groundswell with moderate energy (384). The wind is blowing onshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is just going to chop it up. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 71°, about 2° above average for this time of year, so it's comfortable, but there's nothing to ride. This continues through the week. Thursday and Friday, the swell drops even further to 2ft, with periods dropping to 13 seconds, and we're dealing with a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy is weak (246 on Friday morning). It's just not surfable.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is more of the same—tiny, weak, onshore wind. The swell is barely 2ft, and the energy is pathetic (126 on Saturday morning). Don't bother. The following week, from Monday the 24th through to the end of August, it's a flat, hopeless pattern. We're seeing 2ft to 2ft of SW swell with periods around 16-18 seconds, but the energy values are in the moderate 300s, and the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore from the west or northwest. It's a constant state of "poor surf conditions."

Now, the only thing that even gets a pulse is on the far side of this forecast. On Saturday, the 29th of August, the swell finally bumps up to 3ft from the SW with a period of 17 seconds, giving us a strong energy reading of 677. The wind is still onshore from the WNW at 9 mph in the morning, shifting to cross-onshore in the afternoon. It's marginal, but it's the biggest we've seen. Then Sunday the 30th holds at 4ft from the SW with 15 seconds, moderate energy (580), and lighter winds. This is the best on offer, but it's a long way off and far from perfect. Ocean Beach Pier is an exposed beach-and-reef setup, and it needs clean conditions. With onshore wind, it'll be a bit of a mess even with the increase in size. For a beginner, 4ft is still manageable, but the onshore wind will make it lumpy.

If you're desperate, maybe the very end of the month, the 31st of August, has a chance with 3ft from the SSW and a cross-shore wind, but it's still marginal. The rest of the first week of September is a return to the tiny, weak stuff. There's nothing here to get excited about. The break is consistent, but with this forecast, it's consistently small and poor. For the kitesurfers out there, the consistent onshore wind and small, weak swell might actually be more interesting than for us paddlers, but for a surf, this is a blank run.

Honestly, it's a tough break. The forecasts can change, so don't throw your board in the bin just yet, but as it stands, this is a long, hard wait for a below-average chance at a wave.

Rusty.

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