Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a seat, let’s talk about what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We’ve got a little window of clean, albeit small, surf to kick things off, but then we’re staring down a long, quiet stretch.

We’re looking at Oceanside Harbor (Oceanside-Harbor). The water is sitting at a very unusual 74°F – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

The first real call is for Friday, July 24th, the afternoon. It’s small, only 2ft of swell coming from the SSW, but it’s a long-period groundswell at 24 seconds. The wind is light and onshore from the SW at 6 mph, so it’ll be a bit soft, but not chopped out. The energy is decent for the size at 632.

Saturday, July 25th, the morning looks the best of this early run. The swell picks up to 3ft, still from the SSW, with a 21-second period. The combined energy jumps to 910, and with that same light breeze, it’s going to be a lot more fun than the data suggests. The afternoon holds similar size but the direction shifts a touch more SW.

Sunday, July 26th, sees the swell push to 4ft from the SW, period dropping to 19 seconds, energy is 966. Still clean with the light onshore wind. This is a solid option for a longboard.

Monday, July 27th, the morning gets a bit more juice – 4ft from the SSW, 18 seconds, and the energy hits 1146 (moderate wave energy). The light onshore wind keeps it from being perfect, but it’s the biggest, cleanest wave of this first week.

Tuesday, July 28th, the swell holds at 4ft to 5ft, but the wind picks up to 9 mph in the morning, though still onshore. The afternoon is cleaner with the wind dropping back to 6 mph. Energy is up around 1136.

Then we hit a wall. From Wednesday, July 29th, things get messy. The wind goes cross-onshore, and the forecasts are calling it poor. The swell hangs around 4ft to 4ft, but it’s choppy.

Thursday, July 30th is a bit of a wash, though the afternoon drops to 3ft from the S with a 16-second period, and the wind is light again. It’s marginal.

Friday, July 31st, the swell jumps to 7ft to 7ft from the S, but the period drops to 14 seconds, and the wind is a cross-onshore W breeze. The energy is strong at 1497 to 1830, but it’s going to be a lumpy, choppy mess. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

Saturday, August 1st, has 6ft dropping to 6ft, with a light onshore wind. The period is dropping to 12 seconds, so the quality is fading.

Then, from Sunday, August 2nd, the bottom falls out. The swell drops to 4ft and then to 2ft or less, with periods all over the place. The wind stays light onshore, but there’s just no energy. The combined energy drops to 361 and then into the 100s and low 200s. This is a proper flat spell that runs all the way through to the end of the forecast on August 8th. We’re talking about a solid week of poor conditions with no real hope.

So, the standout window is Saturday, July 25th, through Monday, July 27th. That’s your best bet for clean, rideable waves, even if they’re not huge. After that, it’s a long wait for the next pulse.

Stay salty,
Rusty

Read more