Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at this upcoming stretch for Oceanside Harbor. It’s a bit of a slow burn, so don’t get too excited just yet.

The main story for the next week and a half is a couple of late-arriving, solid swells that could dish out some proper waves, but only if you’re an experienced surfer and you time it right. There’s a lot of onshore wind and chopped-up conditions beforehand, so patience is the name of the game.

The first few days of September are pretty weak. Wednesday morning the 2nd has a bit of a 2ft swell from the SW, but it’s a 16-second period groundswell, and with a light onshore breeze, it’s just poor surf. The wind stays messy through Thursday and Friday, keeping the small swell (2ft to 4ft) choppy and uninviting. The combined energy is low to moderate, ranging from 252 to 1055, so nothing to race for.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are still marginal with the swell picking up to 4ft-6ft from the S, but the wind is cross-onshore. The real bright spot – and the only standout in this entire forecast – is Sunday afternoon, September 6th. The swell jumps to 7ft from the S, with a 14-second period, and the wind goes glassy. That’s a first-class window. The combined energy is strong at 1782, signaling a powerful, clean swell. For a beach/jetty setup like this, that long period can make it a bit shifty, but on a glassy afternoon, if you’ve got the skills, it’s going to be excellent. This is a window for experienced surfers only; 7ft is pushing beginner territory.

Monday morning, September 7th, looks even bigger, with 8ft from the SSW and a 14-second period, with clean, cross-offshore winds (ESE at 15 km/h). The energy hits 2444, which is very strong. This is expert-level surf, and the conditions are clean. However, the wind swings to cross-onshore by Monday afternoon, so the window is tight.

After that, it’s a long, slow fade. Tuesday the 8th through the middle of the month sees the swell dropping from 6ft down to 1ft, and the wind stays mostly onshore or cross-onshore, with the combined energy dropping back to weak or moderate levels (under 1000). The last entry on Thursday the 17th shows a 1ft swell from the SW with a very long 23-second period and a light onshore breeze, but it’s barely a ripple.

The best on offer is undoubtedly the glassy Sunday afternoon, September 6th, with the 7ft S swell. The Monday morning, September 7th, is also a standout for those who are expert and can handle the 8ft SSW swell with clean cross-offshore wind. Don’t get your hopes up for the rest of the run. There’s a good 8-9 day gap of poor to marginal conditions after that.

Rusty.

Read more