Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Oceanside Harbor.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this isn’t a week for the highlight reel. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty average conditions, so don't get your hopes up too high. The first real window of opportunity is on Monday, September 7th, but it’s a mixed bag.

The main event for the whole period is that Monday morning. We’ve got a solid 5.9ft swell rolling in from the SSW, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, packing some serious energy (1098). The water temp is sitting at 73.6°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s a pleasant surprise. The trouble is the wind. It’s a cross-onshore breeze from the WNW at 6 mph, which is light enough to be manageable but not glassy. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the biggest, most powerful swell we’ll see. By Monday afternoon, the wind picks up to 16 mph and it gets choppy, so that window is short.

After that, things drop off. Tuesday and Wednesday are small, in the 3.3ft range, still cross-onshore, and the energy drops significantly. The rest of the first week and into the second week is pretty poor. The swell stays tiny, often under 3.3ft, and while the wind occasionally gets light and turns more onshore, the wave quality is just not there. There’s a long gap from about Wednesday, September 9th, all the way through to the weekend of the 20th where the surf is just too small and weak to get excited about.

The one thing that does look interesting, but it’s a long way off, is the stretch from Sunday, September 20th, into Monday, September 21st. The swell picks up a touch to 3.0ft, but the period is a very long 19 seconds. That’s a deep-water groundswell that will have a lot of energy (555) for its size. The wind is light and variable, even turning onshore at times. For a jetty/beach break like Oceanside Harbor, a period that long can make the waves break a little too straight and fat, so it’s not a guarantee. But if the direction lines up and the tide is right, it could offer some long, clean lines when nothing else is happening. This is a long-range call, so don’t book the day off yet.

If you’re a beginner, the 5.9ft on Monday is a bit of a handful, and the rest is too small to be much fun. For the experienced crew, Monday morning is your best bet, and keep an eye on that long-period stuff around the 20th, but be prepared for it to be a bit tricky.

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