Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a mixed bag of surf coming up over the next couple of weeks, with some real standouts for the experienced crew, and a few days for the rest of us to paddle around.

It kicks off on Tuesday the 21st of July with a solid, clean pulse. Ocean Beach is the only game in town, and man, it’s a good one. We’ve got a 6.2ft groundswell from the South, with a very long period of 16 seconds. The water temp is sitting at 55.2°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is light and offshore from the WNW, making for some really clean, well-shaped lines. Be warned though, this is a lot of water moving around with a combined energy of 1850, so it’s one for the experienced surfers only. The sets will have some real power, and the long period will make for some nice, long walls at this beach and reef setup. Tuesday afternoon drops off a bit, with a cross-on wind making things messy.

Wednesday the 22nd morning is a good call for the early birds. The swell drops to 3.6ft but the period stays at 12 seconds, and the cross-offshore wind keeps it tidy. It’s a much more manageable size, but the energy is down to 388. Wednesday afternoon turns onshore and goes flat.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are pretty ordinary. The swell bottoms out and the periods are short for the most part. There’s a weird spike on Friday afternoon with a 3.6ft swell from the NNE, but it’s only 4 seconds of period, so it’s just bumpy chop. Not worth paddling out for.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th is a real story of two halves. Saturday the 25th is windy and messy, with a 6.9ft short-period swell that’s just a blown-out mess. Not your day. But then Sunday the 26th morning... now that’s a beauty. The wind drops to glassy, absolutely zero, and we’ve got a 6.2ft south swell with a 9-second period. The energy is a solid 1316, and the conditions are described as glassy. This is your window for the weekend. It’s a bit punchy and a touch short-period, but the clean conditions make it very surfable for the competent intermediate.

The week starting Monday the 27th brings a big change. The swell direction swings to the ESE and the energy goes through the roof. Monday sees 5.9ft building to 8.2ft, with a 13-second period and huge energy readings of 1824 and 2578. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but these are big, powerful waves. This is strictly for the experienced crew. The same story continues Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th. Wednesday morning is the pick of this bunch: 6.6ft, offshore wind, 13-second period, and a combined energy of 1378. The conditions are considered excellent for experienced surfers.

Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st of July see the size drop back a little, with 5.6ft swells and a consistent 12-second period. The wind stays favorable in the mornings, making for some very good, clean waves. Crowds are a possibility at Ocean Beach.

The first week of August gets a bit wild. The 1st of August is a little smaller but still fun with offshore winds. The 2nd is a write-off with strong winds. Then the 3rd and 4th of August... the swell model is predicting a monster. We’re looking at 16.4ft waves on Monday the 3rd, with a combined energy of 5794. That is way too big for this break, and it’s only for the most extreme experts. The 4th of August Tuesday afternoon drops to a still-huge 8.2ft, but with clean offshore winds, it’s another one for the big-wave chargers. The 5th of August Wednesday is a total loss with near-gale force winds and heavy rain.

The absolute standout of the whole period is the early morning of Tuesday, July 21st. That combination of a long-period, 6.2ft S swell, light offshore wind, and clean conditions is about as good as it gets for a Tuesday morning session. The second best is the glassy Sunday morning of July 26th.

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