Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Ocean Beach.

To start, it’s a slow burn. The first handful of days are small and sloppy. The water temp is running about 54°F, which is a touch cooler than what’s typical this time of year.

Tuesday the 15th has a 4ft S swell but with a cross-on wind, it’s choppy and weak (energy at 309), so forget it. Wednesday morning the 16th cleans up with a light cross-off breeze and a smaller 3ft SSE swell, but it’s just ordinary. Thursday morning the 17th is similar—clean but small at 3ft from the SE.

The first real glimmer comes Saturday morning, the 19th of September. The swell is still small at 3ft from the SE, but the wind is light WSW, cross-off, and the energy is building into moderate (363). The conditions are clean. It’s not much, but for a longboard, it’s the best of the early going.

Then things get serious. Sunday the 20th sees a strong WSW wind hitting 25 mph in the morning, pushing a 6ft SSW swell, but it’s messy. The afternoon jumps to 8ft from the S with cleaner wind, but it’s still rough.

Here’s the standout: Monday morning, the 21st of September. This is the one. A solid 8ft S swell, long period at 12 seconds, with light NW cross-off winds and clean conditions. The wave energy is pumping at 1630. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The S direction is right for Ocean Beach. If you’ve got the skill, this is the session to lock in. It’s big enough that beginners should sit this one out. The afternoon gets cross-on again, so get your waves early.

Thursday morning, the 24th is another big day. An 8ft S swell, 9-second period, light SW cross-off, and a massive energy reading of 2276. Excellent for experienced surfers, but it’s big—expert territory only. If you’re comfy in that range, go for it.

After that, it tapers down. Friday the 25th morning is clean at 4ft from the S, but by the 28th we’re down to tiny 1ft ESE windswell.

Looking out, Wednesday morning, the 30th of September is a promising longer-range call. A 4ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period, clean NW cross-off winds, and energy at 1316. That’s a quality, powerful groundswell. At a beach break like Ocean Beach, that long period can make it break a bit straight, but with clean conditions, it’ll offer lined-up waves with long gaps between sets. The afternoon jumps to 8ft SSW with a 15-second period and a massive 3777 energy, though described as marginal. It’s a ways out, so less certain, but worth watching.

So, the main events are Monday the 21st morning and Thursday the 24th morning for the big, clean power. The first week is mostly small and average, so don’t get your hopes up until then.

Stay salty.
Rusty

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