Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for us.

The next few days are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got some solid, powerful groundswell arriving, but it comes with a few caveats. The real standout is going to be a window of excellent, clean conditions for experienced surfers, but you’ll have to be patient and pick your moments.

The first real action kicks off on Monday the 20th of July. Ocean Beach is seeing a 6 ft swell from the south, with a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, packing a heap of energy (1589). The water is sitting at 55°, which is a touch cooler than usual for this time of year. The morning wind is a light westerly, blowing cross-offshore, which will keep things clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers, but that long period means it’s going to be a bit more suited to the reef sections than the open beach. The swell drops a touch on Tuesday the 21st to 6 ft, but the morning is absolute magic with a clean 6 mph offshore wind from the west, keeping the surface glassy. Again, this is for the experienced crew.

Wednesday the 22nd sees the swell drop to 4 ft, and by the afternoon it’s down to 2 ft with a glassy easterly wind. Thursday the 23rd is small, with 2 ft surf, and Friday the 24th is a write-off with a messy 3 ft windswell from the north and a strong 16 mph crosswind. The weekend of the 25th and 26th is poor, with stiff winds making things difficult.

Now, the big one. Monday the 27th of July. The swell absolutely cranks up to a massive 20 ft from the south, with a 14-second period. The energy reading is through the roof at 12894. The wind is a strong offshore cross-off at 25 mph. However, the forecast says it’s simply too big for this break. This is a serious, expert-only proposition if you even attempt it, and honestly, it’s probably going to be a washing machine. The afternoon is still huge at 15 ft, but the same warning applies.

The best window for the more manageable stuff comes back around on Tuesday the 28th. The morning sees a 7 ft swell from the east-southeast, a 14-second period, and a light 6 mph offshore wind from the west-southwest. That’s clean, powerful, and a much better size. Wednesday the 29th morning is also a winner, with 5 ft surf, a 13-second period, and light offshore winds. After that, it tapers off into smaller, less reliable surf through the end of the month and into the first week of August. There’s a small window on the 2nd of August with a 7 ft south swell and light offshore winds, but it’s a long way off and not as certain.

The Pick: The clear standout is the Tuesday morning, 28th of July at Ocean Beach. That 7 ft south-east groundswell with a light offshore wind is the best combo of size and quality in the whole run. The Tuesday morning 21st runs a close second for pure cleanliness.

Rusty.

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