Surf Forecasts:
Oceanside Harbor surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Oceanside Harbor this week:
The surf forecast for Oceanside Harbor over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Oceanside Harbor in the next 16 days are 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Oceanside Harbor over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, looking at the next couple of weeks for Southern California. Honestly, we're in a bit of a slump right now. The first couple of days are looking pretty flat and messy. Things start to look a little more promising towards the end of the month and into early September, but you'll have to be patient.
Let's start with what we’ve got. Right now, through the morning of Thursday the 20th, we're looking at weak 3ft swell from the SSW with a period of 14 seconds. That's a weak energy reading (323) and combined with a light onshore breeze, it's just poor surf. Don't even bother.
Friday the 21st is more of the same—small and weak. The swell drops even further into the weekend. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd have swell heights barely hitting 2ft to 2ft, and the wind is going cross-onshore. It's a wasteland. The combined energy is still weak, with readings in the low hundreds.
The start of the following week, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, is still poor. Swell stays tiny, around 2ft, with a moderate cross-onshore breeze picking up on Tuesday. The water temp at Oceanside Harbor (Oceanside) is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.
Now, there’s a glimmer of hope. By the morning of Friday the 28th of August, we see the swell start to pick up a little, hitting 3ft from the SSW. The period jumps to a nice 19 seconds, which is a really long-period groundswell. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 734, and we've got light offshore winds. This is the first time in the whole run that the stars align. It’s still small, but that long period should give it some shape and push. This is the standout session of the entire forecast. It might be a bit straight for the beach breaks with that long period, but at the jetty, it could line up nicely.
Saturday the 29th keeps that promise going. The swell builds a touch more to 3ft in the morning, with that same long-period SSW energy (773) and light offshore wind. The afternoon pushes the swell up to 4ft with a 16-second period (951 energy), though the wind goes a little cross-onshore. Still, Saturday morning is another strong contender.
Things look okay on Sunday the 30th with 4ft SSW swell, but after that, the energy drops off again for the final days of the forecast, through the 1st to the 4th of September, with poor conditions and lighter winds becoming cross-onshore again.
So, to sum it up: the first ten days are a write-off. The real window is Friday the 28th morning and Saturday the 29th morning. That's your best shot at a clean wave with some real push. Get on it if you can.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat morning, min 20°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun morning, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
249 | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 92 | 167 | 218 | 177 | 155 | 269 | 197 | 179 | 273 | 264 | 163 | 203 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:47PM1.80m | 8:25AM1.36m | 5:06PM1.83m | 8:27AM1.43m | 6:08PM1.91m | 8:41AM1.49m | 6:56PM2.01m | 8:58AM1.55m | 7:35PM2.10m | 9:16AM1.61m | 8:10PM2.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:59PM0.76m | 00:19AM0.65m | 10:09AM1.35m | 1:10AM0.54m | 11:57AM1.32m | 1:47AM0.43m | 12:51PM1.24m | 2:18AM0.34m | 1:31PM1.14m | 2:46AM0.27m | 2:06PM1.04m | 3:12AM0.24m | |||||||
— | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 |
249 | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 31 | 167 | 218 | 41 | 98 | 269 | 37 | 179 | 59 | 264 | 163 | 61 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | W 5 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 |
33 | 27 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 92 | 19 | 17 | 99 | 155 | 21 | 197 | 85 | 273 | 126 | 87 | 123 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 19 | WSW 19 | S 10 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 16 |
13 | 57 | 35 | 8 | 81 | 51 | 49 | 81 | 56 | 58 | 177 | 84 | 199 | 89 | 66 | 126 | 8 | 2 | 203 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | W 6 | W 6 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | 36 | — | 51 | 60 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 68 | 68 | 15 | 98 | 68 | 0 | 68 | 68 | 0 | 68 | 68 | 0 | 68 | 68 | 0 | 68 | 68 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Oceanside Harbor Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Oceanside Harbor provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Oceanside Harbor can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Oceanside Harbor surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Oceanside Harbor) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Oceanside Harbor may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Oceanside Harbor is 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Oceanside. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Oceanside. Oceanside has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











