Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Ocean Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the water is sitting at a cool 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t be shy with the wetsuit.

The first session worth a paddle is Saturday morning, July 25th. You’re looking at clean, small 2ft waves from the east with a long 12-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the WNW, so surfaces will be smooth. The combined wave energy is weak (219), so it’s not a day to get overly excited, but it’s a proper mellow morning for a beginner-friendly surf. The water’s a bit chilly, as noted.

After that, things stay pretty ordinary for a few days. Sunday morning, July 26th, sees a bump in size to 7ft from the south, but short 8-second period. The wind is cross-off from the WSW – okay, but not ideal. The energy jumps to moderate (984), but the short period means the waves will be a bit lumpy and less organized. It’s a pass for me.

Monday, July 27th through Tuesday, July 28th are dominated by 8ft swell from the south and southeast, with moderate to strong energy (1651 to 2502). Winds are cross-off, but the short periods (8-9 seconds) and those big, messy waves are really only for experienced surfers. Beginners would be in over their heads.

The standout in the first week is Wednesday morning, July 29th. Swell drops to a clean 7ft from the ESE (optimum direction for Ocean Beach) with a nice 13-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the WNW. The combined energy is solid at 1467 – excellent for experienced surfers. Conditions will be clean, with real shape to the waves. This is the pick of the bunch early on.

Thursday morning, July 30th, is still decent with 5ft ESE swell at 12 seconds, light offshore winds, and 701 energy. Good but not as strong.

From Friday, July 31st, into the start of August, the surf backs right off. Friday morning is only 3ft from the ESE with moderate wind. Saturday, August 1st, is a write-off: windy, onshore, small. Sunday, August 2nd, has a tiny 2ft SSE swell with a very long 16-second period, but the energy is weak (390). That long period will make the waves fat and straight at a beach break, so not much fun.

There’s a solid gap of a few days with poor or marginal conditions through to mid-week.

Then, Wednesday morning, August 5th brings 7ft from the south with a very long 16-second period and strong energy (2203). But the wind is a howling 28 mph SSW, cross-off. That wind is brutal – it will create lumpy, difficult conditions. Only for the hardcore, but the quality is poor.

Thursday and Friday, August 6th and 7th, are big swell days but with 25-31 mph winds and messy cross-chop. The energy is enormous (up to 4348), but so is the wind. This is more of a kitesurfing scene than a paddle-surfing one.

The best bet of the second week is Sunday morning, August 9th. You’ve got 5ft from the SSE at 10 seconds, with light offshore NNW wind and clean surfaces. The energy is moderate (533). It’s not huge, but compared to the rest, it’s a calm and rideable morning.

Overall, the best call is Wednesday morning, July 29th. That’s the clean, quality session with decent size. The weekend of August 8th-9th offers a smaller but cleaner alternative. Between those, expect long gaps of poor conditions.

- Rusty

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