Oceanic Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at what’s coming up for Oceanic Pier. The next 16 days bring a pretty bleak stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy surf. There’s a big gap of nothing worthwhile until the very end of the month, and even then it’s touch and go. The water temp is sitting at 28° and is about average for this time of year, so that’s one thing you won’t have to worry about.

We’ve got a long run of tiny, poor surf starting Wednesday afternoon, 19 August, with a meagre 2 ft swell from the SE and a short period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 40, and those cross-shore winds from the SSE at 9 mph are just making it mushy and chopped. This pattern holds through the rest of the week and into the next – day after day of 1 ft to 0.7 ft SE swells, mostly with cross or cross-off winds, and the energy barely cracks 50. All of it is rated as poor surf. It’s a flat spell.

Saturday morning, 22 August, offers a tiny 0.7 ft ESE swell with a very long 13-second period but the energy is still only 57. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. Saturday afternoon actually sees a 3 ft S swell, but the period is a pathetic 5 seconds – windswell junk – and the energy is only 80. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The risk of thunderstorms hangs around too.

From Sunday 23 August right through to the morning of Saturday 29 August, it’s just more of the same: tiny swells, under 2 ft, periods in the 8- to 12-second range, and energy beneath 60. The winds are often light and cross-off, so conditions are clean, but you need waves to surf. The afternoon of Saturday 29 August sees a 2 ft SE swell with a short 8-second period, and the energy is a bit higher at 65, but it’s cross-shore and messy.

After a full week of nothing, things finally start to change on Sunday 30 August. The afternoon brings a 2 ft SE swell with a 12-second period and the combined energy jumps to 158 – moderate energy for the first time. The wind is gentle and cross-shore, so it’s still a little choppy, but this is the first real sign of life. Monday 31 August keeps that 2 ft SE swell, with a 10-second period, and energy climbing to 169. The morning is clean with a light N breeze. Monday afternoon, the swell shifts to 4 ft from the E, but with a short 6-second period, it’s windswell, and the cross-on wind from the ENE makes it messy.

The standout window – and I use that term loosely – falls on Tuesday 1 September and Wednesday 2 September. Tuesday morning has a 4 ft E swell (still short 6-second period) but the energy is now 229, a solid moderate energy. The wind is light and cross-shore. Tuesday afternoon is the best we’ll see: glassy conditions with a 4 ft E swell, period still short at 6 seconds, but the energy hits 236. The wind is virtually nothing from the ENE – it’s glassy. This is surfable, though it’s hardly a classic. Wednesday morning, 2 September, brings a 4 ft ESE swell with a much better 11-second period, and the energy jumps to 305 – moderate to strong. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the NNE, so there’s a little chop, but this has the most push of the whole forecast. Thursday morning, 3 September, is glassy again with a 3 ft SE swell, 9-second period, and energy of 135 – clean but smaller.

So, if you’re desperate for a paddle, the best bet is Oceanic Pier itself, no other breaks are on the menu. The standout is the afternoon of Tuesday 1 September, with glassy conditions and chest-high waves, plus the morning of Wednesday 2 September for the best period and energy. Crowds are possible here – it’s a beginner-friendly spot that can get busy. Just remember, these are short-period E swells, so it’s not going to be grindy, but it’s ridable. After that, Thursday morning is also clean and small. Everything else in the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty.

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