Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Ocean Beach Pier has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, we're in a bit of a flat spell. Don't get too excited just yet because we've got a run of small, weak, and pretty average conditions coming up first. We're looking at a long stretch from August 21st through to just past the end of the month where the waves are small, the energy is low, and it's just not doing much. There's a lot of white noise in the water, but nothing that's gonna get you paddling out with a grin. The combined swell energy will hover in the low to moderate range (around 200 to 700 mark) through this period, but with offshore winds being light and variable, it’s not really coming together. Water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Then we finally get a pulse of energy around Wednesday the 26th. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword though. We see a jump in size to around 6ft from the SSW, with the combined energy ramping up hard to 1600, which is strong energy. The problem is the wind is cross-shore at 12 mph, making things a bit messy. It’s gonna be a bit too big and blown out for the average surfer, and at over 5ft it'll be tough for beginners. The period is a decent 15 seconds though, so there's some grunt in it, but that cross-chop will be a hassle. This one is really just for the locals who don't mind a wrestle.

The real standout, the one you want to circle on your calendar, is Thursday the 3rd of September. That afternoon we finally get a window where things line up. We've got a clean 3ft swell from the south with offshore winds from the S at only 3 mph. That’s almost glassy, and it’ll be clean as a whistle. The swell energy is moderate at 592, but the quality is what counts. The short period (14 seconds) is decent and the wind being cross-offshore is the key. For an exposed beach and reef setup like this, that’s as good as it gets. If you can only pick one session, that’s the one.

After that, we roll into a stronger SSW groundswell on September 4th and 5th. We're looking at 5ft to 7ft waves with strong energy (1582 to 1771). The wind stays light, which is promising, but this size is pushing into expert territory, especially at over 7ft. The period is around 14 seconds, which is solid groundswell, but at a beach and reef break, a long period swell like this can sometimes make things a bit too straight. Keep an eye on it – could be a proper session for the bigger-wave crew.

So, to wrap it up: the first week and a half is a write-off. The real window is the afternoon of the 3rd for the cleanest, most user-friendly waves, and then the 4th and 5th for the bigger, more powerful stuff if you’re experienced.

Rusty.

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