Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Oceanside Harbor area.

Honestly, the next week and a half is looking pretty flat and pretty sad. A real bummer of a stretch. We’re looking at a long gap of poor conditions starting right now and dragging on through the end of August. The water is hangin’ in there at 71°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least a dip will feel good even if the waves don’t.

From Thursday the 20th all the way through Tuesday the 1st of September, it’s a whole lot of nothing. Swell heights are stuck between 2 ft and 3 ft, mostly from the SSW, with a weak combined energy that’s barely scraping into the 100-300 range. The wind is a mix of light onshore and cross-onshore breezes, which just messes up what little bump there is. The wave comment keeps calling it “poor” or “marginal,” and honestly, there’s nothing here worth paddling out for. It’s a long, dry spell.

Now, there’s a bit of a flicker of life around the 26th and 27th of August. The swell starts to push a little, with heights hitting 4 ft to 5 ft. The combined energy kicks up into the 700-800 range, which is moderate, but the wind is still cross-onshore from the W or SSW at 6-9 mph. It’s still described as marginal, and the jetty setup at Oceanside Harbor – a beach/jetty, exposed to the W – is a spot that needs clean conditions to shine. The swell is SSW, which is a bit off from the optimum W direction, so it’s not going to wrap in perfectly. Still, the long period (13-14 seconds) means there’s some energy in the water, but the cross-onshore wind will keep it a rough, bumpy mess. Not a standout, just a less-bad option.

The only real window that might have something turns up around the 3rd and 4th of September. On the morning of Thursday the 3rd, we’re looking at 4 ft of W swell, but with a period of only 8 seconds – that’s short-period, wind-driven junk. The combined energy is low-moderate at 356. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. Then Friday the 4th of September, the swell flips back to SSW, 3 ft, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is moderate at 566. The wind is light and offshore from the SW, which is a major positive. This could actually be the best on offer. That long-period SSW groundswell, with light offshore wind, might clean up the jetty and produce some fun, lined-up waves. The caveat is that a long period like that can be a bit walled-up at a beach/jetty, but with the wind clean, it’s worth a look. Crowds are often a factor at this spot, so expect company.

But let’s be real: the whole 16-day window is a grind. The pick of the litter is Friday the 4th of September. The morning’s 3 ft SSW swell with 18-second period and light offshore wind is the cleanest, most promising session we’ve got. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or just plain ugly.

Rusty out.

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