Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking pretty flat and frustrating for Oceanside Harbor. We’ve got a real slow start with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The first solid chunk of the forecast is a bust. We’re talking from Tuesday the 14th all the way through to the end of that week, nothing but tiny, weak swells and messy cross-onshore winds. The water is sitting at a balmy 72°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a real standout, feels like bath water.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday the 19th. It’s still small, but we finally see some energy start to build. By Sunday morning the 19th, there’s a 4 ft swell from the south with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is climbing into the 800s (812). It’s still marginal with cross-onshore winds, but it’s a start. Monday the 20th is similar, with the swell hanging around 3 ft before a bit of a drop.

The real standout, though, is that last weekend. The biggest window of the whole 16 days is shaping up for Friday the 24th through Saturday the 25th. The swell is going to ramp up big time. On Friday morning we’re looking at a 6 ft south swell, and by the afternoon it’s jumping to 7 ft from the south with a 16-second period. The combined energy rockets up to 2481 – that’s a serious amount of power. Saturday the 25th is the peak morning, with a 8 ft south swell (14-second period) and energy hitting 2897. That’s heavy, expert-only territory. The wind is cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but there’s going to be plenty of push. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s your session. Beginners should stay well clear – that’s way too much water moving around.

After that peak, the swell backs right down by Sunday morning the 26th, dropping to 3 ft, but the period stretches out to 19 seconds – a nice, long groundswell that’ll wrap in cleanly. The wind is light and offshore from the SSW, so it could be glassy. That’s a much more manageable size for a wider range of crew, and the clean conditions will make it look good.

The final few days, from the 27th to 29th, see a return to smaller, 4 ft to 4 ft south-southwest swells. Nothing special, but with light winds and an onshore direction, it’ll be a consistent, if average, end to the run. Crowds are often an issue here, so expect company.

So, the bottom line: the first week is a write-off. The best bet is the Saturday the 25th for the big, burly swell if you’ve got the skills, or the Sunday morning the 26th for a clean, glassy drop on a long-period groundswell.

Rusty.

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