Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cookin’ at Ocean Beach.

Right now, we’ve got a bit of a slow starter with some small surf on Sunday 12th July. The morning offers up a clean, cross-off breeze with a 4ft ESE swell, period around 9 seconds—not huge, but it’s surfable. The combined energy is moderate (483), so there’s some push, but don’t expect perfection. Afternoon cleans up with glassy conditions but the swell drops to 4ft and the wave comment says it’s marginal—tide might be messin’ with it.

Monday 13th stays pretty ordinary. Morning has 3ft of ESE swell, clean but weak (227 energy). Afternoon goes downhill with poor conditions and a small 2ft S swell. Tuesday and Wednesday are flat and unremarkable – energy dips below 100 on Tuesday afternoon. Just not worth paddlin’ out.

Then Thursday 16th July afternoon shows a little glimmer: glassy conditions, 2ft swell but with a very long period of 17 seconds and energy at 402. That’s a clean, glassy session with long-period groundswell—better suited for the points and reefs than a beach break, but still a nice little window for a patient surfer.

Now, the real standout for this stretch is Friday 17th July morning. We get a clean 5ft ESE groundswell with a 15-second period and strong energy (1173). Offshore WNW wind at 10 km/h. That’s quality surf for experienced folks—good shape, clean faces, and enough power to make it fun. This is the best of the first week, hands down.

Saturday 18th July morning keeps the energy high (1555) with 5ft ESE swell and offshore WNW breeze. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. But watch out—Saturday afternoon brings 25 km/h SSW winds and rain, so that window closes quick.

Sunday 19th July is a gem. Morning has 6ft SSW swell, 14 seconds, clean and cross-off. Afternoon turns glassy with 5ft S swell—still excellent. Energy is high (1881 to 2000). That Sunday afternoon in particular looks magic.

Monday 20th July morning keeps it clean with a bigger 7ft ESE swell and light winds, energy at 1928. That’s solid, but the afternoon gets a bit bumpy with cross-shore winds.

Now, from Tuesday 21st July onward, the swell pumps up big time—13ft and bigger through to the end of the month. These waves are too big for Ocean Beach, with energy readings in the thousands (up to 14,207). This is expert-only territory, and even for experts it’s pushing the limit. The break is a beach and reef setup, so with wind and tide favorable but the sheer size, it’s more of a spectacle than a surf session. If you’re a kite surfer, maybe, but for paddle surfing? Not unless you’re genuinely charging.

There’s a bit of a reprieve on Sunday 26th July morning with a 10ft ENE swell, clean, but still big. The rest of the week stays massive.

So, the standout sessions: Friday 17th July morning for that clean, powerful groundswell and Sunday 19th July afternoon for glassy, excellent conditions. Don’t sleep on Thursday 16th afternoon if you want a glassy, long-period session. After that, it’s big and burly—for experts only.

Rusty.

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