Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming up for Oceanside Harbor.

First thing you gotta know – the water is *way* warmer than normal for this time of year. We're talking 75°, which is a massive 8° above average. That’s a real treat, makes the whole session feel like a summer bath.

Now, the surf... it's a tough run for the next couple of weeks. The forecast is a bit of a letdown, with a lot of marginal days and poor conditions. Most of the time, the wind is coming from the wrong direction, putting a cross-onshore chop on the waves. The swell energy is moderate, but the quality just isn't there for a clean ride.

We start off on Tuesday, July 21st. There's a 4ft swell from the SSW with a very long 16-second period, giving us a moderate energy of 858. It's got a bit of size, but the wind is on it, and the call is "marginal." By the afternoon, the wind swings to the W at 15 mph, and it's a cross-onshore mess. Wednesday and Thursday are much the same – small, choppy, and not worth getting excited about.

Friday the 24th shows a weird pattern. The morning has a tiny 2ft swell from the SW, but with a super long 24-second period, giving a weak energy of 925. That's a very long period groundswell, which means it'll be super straight and hard to ride at a beach/jetty setup like this. The afternoon drops to 11 seconds, but the size is still tiny. Not your day.

The weekend of July 26th-27th is probably the best of a bad bunch, but it's not saying much. On Sunday, the 26th, we've got a 3ft to 4ft swell from the SW, with a long period of 18-19 seconds. The energy is moderate (953 in the morning, 918 in the arvo). The wind is light, coming from the WSW. It's still "marginal," but it's the least choppy we'll see. Monday the 27th holds similar 4ft swell from the SW, with energy finally cracking 1000 (1084, then 1128). The wind is a little better, with some clouds in the arvo offering lighter onshore breezes. If you had to paddle out, this is your window, but keep your expectations low.

After that, it's a slow fade. From Tuesday the 28th onwards, the swell drops off and the energy weakens. The last week of July and into early August sees the swell size shrinking to 2ft to 3ft, with most days marked as "poor surf conditions." The wind stays cross-onshore, and the energy dips into the 100-200 range. By August 1st, it's a bust.

The biggest issue here is the wind. For a spot that needs a clean offshore or glassy condition, we're getting cross-onshore winds almost every day. The swell direction is SSW to SW, which is not the optimum W swell that this break really wants. The consistent, long-period energy is there, but it's being wasted. For a beginner, the swell occasionally gets over 5ft, like on July 21st, but with the chop, it's not a fun learning day. For experts, there's nothing over 8ft to get their teeth into.

Overall, we've got a 16-day outlook with a few marginal days early on, but no real standouts. The best you can hope for is a slightly less choppy session on Sunday the 26th or Monday the 27th. After that, we're looking at a gap of several days with no real surf to recommend.

Rusty.

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