Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board and let’s talk about the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s some serious muscle coming down the line if you’re patient.

Right now, we’re looking at a flat, poor start. Monday the 10th is a write-off – tiny, weak (180), and just messy. You’re better off sorting your kit or enjoying a coffee. Tuesday the 11th sees a pulse of energy (1357) but it’s a bit all over the place. The morning has some size, around 6.6ft from the SSW, and it’s clean with a light cross-off breeze. That’s actually the first real window, but it’s for experienced surfers only – the period is a short 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy. The afternoon drops off fast.

Then we hit a dead zone. Wednesday the 12th through to the morning of Saturday the 15th is a blank run of poor, choppy, and onshore slop. Not worth paddling out. The wind is messy, and the energy is middling at best. Forget it.

Saturday afternoon the 15th is where things start to wake up. We get a jump to 673 energy, and the wind goes glassy. The swell is 6.2ft from the E, but it’s a short 8-second period. It’s surfable, and the clean conditions will make it look better than it is. It’s not a standout, but it’s a start.

Sunday the 16th is bigger, 6.9ft – 7.2ft, and clean with a cross-off breeze, but the period is still short and the energy is moderate (1188 – 1366). It’s a bit of a grindy, bumpy beast. Only fair.

Now, the real deal. Monday the 17th is the one to circle. It’s huge. We’re talking 16.4ft in the morning and 14.8ft in the afternoon, with a strong 11-second period and a huge energy spike (6566). The wind is a clean cross-off, so it’ll be perfect, but this is expert territory only. This is well over the 8.2ft mark – serious, heavy, and dangerous for anyone without serious experience. Ocean Beach (San Francisco) is a beach and reef setup, and with this much juice, the paddle out will be a war. If you’re not a pro, stay on the sand.

Tuesday the 18th is still big, 9.8ft, with moderate energy, and it’s cleaning up. It’s still a big-wave day, but the period has dropped to 10 seconds, so it’s less threatening. Still, only for the experienced.

The standout window for quality and consistency is Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th. The morning sessions are the pick. On the 19th, we have clean 9.8ft surf from the SSE with a 10-second period and a light offshore breeze (1652). It’s excellent for experienced surfers. Thursday the 20th is similar, but the wind is slightly better – nearly glassy offshore with 9.8ft and solid energy (3246). This is the best combination of size, shape, and clean conditions on offer. These are the days to call in sick.

After that, it fades out. Friday the 21st has some fun 7.2ft waves in the morning (958), still clean. Saturday the 22nd has 5.9ft with a long 12-second period, which is nice, but the afternoon goes cross-on and lumpy. The following week, the 23rd through 25th, is smaller and less consistent. There’s a bit of clean surf on Sunday the 23rd (4.9ft) and Monday the 24th (3.3ft) but nothing that’ll get the heart racing.

So, the plan: wait out the junk, be ready for the Tuesday the 11th if you’re keen, but the real standouts are the 19th and 20th. That’s where the magic is. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a good wetsuit is all you need.

Keep it salty.

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