Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next 16 days for Oceanside Harbor.

Honestly, I gotta be straight with you—this is a tough outlook. There’s wave energy out there, but the setup is just wrong for us. The swell is coming mainly from the SW and SSW, which isn't hitting this spot well, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore for most of the run. The result is poor surf conditions across the board with no real standout windows.

We start right now, Friday the 31st of July. The afternoon brings a W wind at 6 mph, but it’s cross-on, ruining the shape on a 3 ft SSW swell. The combined energy is moderate at 479, but it doesn’t matter with the wind angle. The water is much warmer than normal for this time of year at 75°F, so that’s odd but not helping the waves.

Moving into Saturday the 1st of August, the wind swings WSW and stays light onshore. The swell drops a touch, with 2 ft to 3 ft SSW swell, but the period is a solid 13 seconds. The guidance says this is a beach/jetty setup, and with this onshore flow, it’s just messy. We get a score of 1 out of 10 for the afternoon, meaning it’s marginal at best.

Sunday the 2nd through Wednesday the 5th of August is a real grind. Swell sizes hover around 1 ft to 2 ft from the SW, with periods mostly in the 13-16 second range. The combined energy drops as low as 120, which is weak. The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, and the commentary is either “poor surf conditions” or “fairly choppy.” There’s nothing to get excited about.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th of August see a jump in period—up to 19 seconds on the 7th—which is a long-period groundswell. The combined energy hits 447, which is moderate. But the wind is still onshore, and the swell direction is SSW. That long-period swell is better suited to a point or reef break, not a beach/jetty with bad wind. It’s a tease.

The rest of the second week, from the 8th of August right through to the 15th of August, is the same story. Swell sizes from 2 ft to 3 ft, periods between 14 and 20 seconds, and combined energy often in the 300s and 400s. But the wind is consistently cross-onshore from the WSW or W at 9 mph. The wave comment keeps saying “gentle cross-onshore and fairly choppy.” There is no session in that window that I’d recommend.

This is a 16-day gap of poor to marginal surf. The break is very consistent, but the conditions just aren’t coming together. This spot is exposed, and when the wind and swell direction don’t line up, it stays flat and ugly. Keep an eye on it—forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this bad forever.

Rusty.

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