Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for Ocean Beach over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but the middle of the window is where it's at. The water’s sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than what we’d normally expect for this time of year, so you’ll want that extra rubber.

The first real chance to get wet comes late Wednesday afternoon, the 26th. It’s not going to blow you away, but there’s a clean 3ft SSW swell rolling in with a very long 16-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy, and with a light cross-offshore breeze, it’ll be looking glassy. The combined energy is moderate at 399. It’s a small day, but for a beginner-friendly spot like Ocean Beach, it’s a nice little intro.

Thursday the 27th sees a bump in size, but the quality drops off. Morning has 5ft of SSW swell at 18 seconds, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the SSE, putting a chop on it. The combined energy jumps to 1472. Afternoon gets a bit bigger at 6ft from the S, but with onshore wind, it’s messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th is a write-off. Strong N winds up to 19 mph, lumpy conditions, and dropping swell. Don’t bother.

Saturday the 29th is small and weak, with a cross-shore wind. The swell is down around 3ft-3ft and the period is short. It’s a no-go.

Sunday the 30th is a bit of a tease. The swell is tiny, only 2ft-2ft from the S, but the wind is offshore from the W. It’s clean, but there’s just not enough push.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 31st. We’ve got a solid pulse of S swell. The morning sees 8ft at 11 seconds, with a cross-offshore breeze keeping it clean. The combined energy is strong at 1742. This is big, pushing into the “experts only” territory. The afternoon gets even bigger at 10ft, with a 14-second period and a combined energy of 3535. That’s a lot of water moving around. The wind is light, but that’s a heavy day for a beach break. Only for the experienced crew.

Tuesday the 1st of September is the standout. The swell drops to a more manageable 6ft-7ft from the S, with a solid 12-second period. The winds are light, clean, and cross-offshore. The combined energy is still strong at 953-1074. This is the best on offer. Clean, good size, and the conditions are looking prime. Get out there.

The rest of the first week of September fades out. Wednesday the 2nd is smaller and the wind gets stronger, and from Thursday the 3rd onward it’s mostly small, weak, or has poor wind. There’s a bit of a gap from the 3rd to the 6th of September where the swell is small and the conditions are ordinary.

The second week has a few pulses, but nothing like that Tuesday. A small clean swell on the 6th, and then a weird bump on the 7th of September with 6ft of short-period NE windswell, but the wind is howling at 25 mph. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The rest of the 8th, 9th, and 10th is all tiny, weak, and not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up: Tuesday the 1st of September is the clear winner. The Monday the 31st of August is for the hardcore only. Everything else is a gamble.

Rusty.

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