Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a long stretch ahead for Ocean Beach Pier, so let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty lean start. The first week is mostly small and messy, with a few windows that are just barely surfable. The water is sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus if you’re paddling out. The first real chance for a wave comes on Friday the 21st. It’s not much – a 2ft SW groundswell with a 13-second period, but the wind is light and offshore from the west. That’s a clean lineup, but the energy is weak (241). It’s marginal at best, and you’ll be fighting some questionable tide.

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are even smaller, with the swell dropping to 1ft to 2ft. The wind stays light offshore, but there’s just no push. The combined energy is still low, ranging from 189 to 314. It’s a bit of a flat spell, so don’t get your hopes up.

We start to see a slow build on Monday the 24th, with a 2ft swell from the WSW, but the energy is still moderate (358). Still, the wind is light offshore, so if you’re desperate for a longboard session, Monday morning might be your best bet of this first week. Tuesday the 25th brings a boost to 3ft, then 4ft by the afternoon, with the energy jumping to 569 and then 731. The wind is offshore, so the shape should be decent, but it’s still marginal.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. The standout window looks to be Wednesday the 26th. The swell builds to 5ft from the SSW, with a 13-second period. The combined energy hits 1045, which is strong. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the biggest, most powerful swell of the forecast so far. This is a solid intermediate day. The swell direction is from the SSW, which is close to the optimum W for Ocean Beach Pier, so it should wrap in reasonably well. This is the best on offer across the whole 16 days. Keep in mind that 5ft is starting to push the limits for beginners.

After that peak, the swell slowly backs off through the rest of the week and into the first week of September. From Thursday the 27th through to the end of the month, we’re looking at waves in the 3ft to 4ft range, with energy dropping from 697 down to the 400s. The wind is mostly light and cross-onshore, which will leave some bumps on the surface. Nothing to write home about, but there are still a few marginal sessions to be had for the patient surfer.

The second week of the forecast, from the 1st of September onward, is pretty grim. The swell drops to 2ft to 3ft, and the wind is often cross-onshore or even a moderate breeze, making it choppy. The energy is mostly weak to moderate. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th see a little bump in energy from a long-period SW swell (15-16 seconds), but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be clean. The best of that second week might be Friday the 4th afternoon, with a 3ft swell and only a light breeze, but it’s still marginal.

All in all, this is a long stretch with very little on offer. The standout is Wednesday the 26th, with the 5ft SSW swell and strong energy. The rest of the time? It’s a lot of waiting. The break is consistent, so it tends not to stay this poor for long, but this particular forecast is a real test of patience.

Rusty.

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