Ocean Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s some action brewing for the end of the month and into the start of August. We’ve got a single spot on the radar: Ocean Beach Pier.

First up, the water temperature is sitting at a very unusual 74°, which is a massive 7° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a pretty wild anomaly, so you’ll be surfing in a bath.

The first surfable days aren’t much to write home about. From Thursday afternoon through the following Sunday, we’re looking at very marginal, inconsistent surf. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is a messy cross-onshore or cross-shore. It’s weak, with combined wave energy values mostly in the mid-500s to low-900s, which is moderate but not well-organized. Honestly, the conditions are a bit of a chop fest. The best of this early period is Monday morning, July 27th, with a 4ft SW swell and a 19-second period, but the cross-onshore wind is still a problem. The energy there is a moderate 983.

Then, things start to get interesting. Tuesday, July 28th, sees a 4ft SW swell with a 17-second period move in. The morning has light cross-onshore wind and a combined energy of 1009, which is the first time we crack into that moderate-to-strong territory. Still, it’s not quite clean enough for a standout.

Now, the real window opens up on Friday, August 1st. That’s your best bet. For the morning of August 1st, we’ve got a 6ft SSW swell pumping in with a 13-second period. The wind is cross-onshore, but it’s a gentle breeze, keeping the chop manageable. The combined energy hits 1119, which is a solid strong wave energy. The afternoon cleans up a bit more with lighter wind, though the swell drops to 6ft with energy at 980. This is the standout period. The swell direction from the SSW is a decent match for the beach’s W exposure, and the size is solid for intermediates. It’s not a beginner wave at 6ft, but it’s not a death sentence for experts either. That said, Ocean Beach Pier is a beach-and-reef setup, so with a longer period swell like that, it can get a bit walled out and shifty. Expect crowds, because this spot is often packed.

After that peak, it drops off quickly. From Sunday, August 2nd, onwards, the swell fades and the conditions turn poor. The morning of the 2nd has 4ft, but by the afternoon it’s already down to 4ft with a score of 0. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off with tiny, weak swell and poor surf conditions, all scoring zero. You’ll see barely 2ft to 2ft of swell with weak energy, dropping into the 100s and 200s. That’s a long stretch of flat water.

So, the plan is clear: wait for the end of the month. The standout is Friday, August 1st, at Ocean Beach Pier. The morning has the best combo of size and energy. Get on it if you can, because after that, it’s a long dry spell.

Rusty.

Read more