Ocean Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things build into a proper run of solid, powerful Southerly groundswell for the first week, especially for the more experienced among you. The water is sitting at 55°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The standout period is undeniably the middle of next week, but hold your horses because it gets properly big.

Sunday the 2nd kicks off with a solid 8ft Southerly swell already running. It’s clean with a light offshore breeze in the morning. The combined energy is pumping at 1892 (moderate), and that’s a fair indicator of the push. This is definitely one for experienced surfers only. The afternoon glass off is a treat, dropping to 7ft Southerly swell with glassy conditions—that’s the kind of session you'll be telling stories about.

Monday the 3rd settles down a bit. The morning has a clean 5ft SSE swell with a light cross-offshore breeze. The afternoon drops further to 4ft but the period stretches out to 13 seconds (moderate energy at 666), so there’s still some decent shape in the water for a longboard or a fish.

Now, Tuesday the 4th is where it gets heavy. The morning is a write-off for paddling; 10ft Southerly but with a short, crumbly 8-second period and strong 22 mph winds. The afternoon jumps to a massive 15ft Southerly swell with a much better 12-second period, but the combined energy is a monster 5709 (strong). This is too big for Ocean Beach—this is big-wave territory, expert only, and realistically more interesting for the kite crew than a paddle surfer.

Wednesday the 5th is a similar story. The swell is still enormous at 13ft Southerly in the morning and 12ft in the afternoon, both with that 12-second period. The energy readings are still off the charts, over 5000 and 3662 respectively. It’s just too much for the break.

We finally get a drop on Thursday the 6th. Thursday morning is the real sweet spot: a 8ft SSW swell with an 11-second period, clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is 2457 (moderate), and this is excellent for experienced surfers. It’s the most manageable size of the big-swell window. The afternoon is still a very respectable 6ft SSE swell.

Friday the 7th morning is a solid 5ft SSE swell with a light offshore—clean, fun, and very surfable. The afternoon is a weird one: the swell drops to 4ft Southerly, but the period jumps to a very long 17 seconds (energy at 1633). That long period means it will be very straight and fast at a beach break, so it might be a bit of a wash-through.

Saturday the 8th morning is another highlight. A clean 6ft Southerly swell with a light offshore breeze. The energy is a solid 993 (moderate). This is a great, powerful, clean wave for anyone comfortable in the middle-size range.

Sunday the 9th morning is a tricky one. A 5ft SSE swell with a very long 16-second period and light cross-offshore winds. The energy is high (1647), but that very long period again makes it prone to closing out at a beach break. The afternoon jumps back up to 8ft SSE, which is big and onshore becoming.

From Monday the 10th onwards, the swell is there but the quality fades with more cross-onshore winds. The 11th and 12th see the swell drop below 5ft and the wind turns rubbish. By the 13th, we’re looking at tiny, choppy junk with poor energy, and that run of flat, messy conditions continues right through until the end of the 16-day window on the 17th.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is hands down Sunday afternoon the 2nd for the glassy 7ft Southerly, and Thursday morning the 6th for the clean, powerful 8ft SSW swell. Get it while it’s good.

Rusty.

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