Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Oceanside Harbor are a real mixed bag, and a lot of it is pretty grim. The water is cooking at 77°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus if you’re just having a paddle, but the surf? It’s a tough watch for most of the run.

The first recommendation doesn’t pop up until Sunday, the 30th of August, and even then it’s a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a long wait after that for anything decent. From Sunday the 30th morning through to Saturday the 5th of September, the ocean is pretty flat with tiny swell – mostly 2 ft to 4 ft from the SSW and S, and the wind is cross-on or onshore for most of it. The energy is weak to moderate (like 162 to 804), and the wave quality is poor. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, the real standout, and the only thing that gets the blood pumping, is from Sunday the 6th of September. That morning we see a solid 6 ft swell from the south, with a 14-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps up to 1212, which is strong. On top of that, the wind is cross-shore out of the NW at 25 km/h, keeping things a bit more manageable. The break is a beach/jetty setup, and with a long period like that, it’ll be better for the jetty side where the waves won’t just close out. The swell direction is SSW, and the optimum direction for this spot is W, so it’s not a perfect match, but it’s still the best we’ll see. Crowds are often an issue here, so expect company. The swell size is manageable for advanced surfers, but under 8 ft, so it’s not too gnarly.

Monday the 7th of September morning keeps the 6 ft swell from the SSW, and the wind is onshore out of the SW at 10 km/h, making it a bit cleaner. The energy is 1290 – strong. But by the afternoon, a rain shower hits with a near gale from the SSE at 60 km/h, blowing it out completely. Then Tuesday the 8th of September morning sees a 8 ft swell from the SSW, with a 14-second period and energy at 2378 – that’s very strong. But the wind is cross-on from the WNW at 15 km/h, so it’ll be choppy. That size is at the limit for regular surfers, so only experts should be looking at it. By Tuesday afternoon, it’s 12 ft and blown out – definitely not for the faint-hearted.

After that, the forecast drops off a cliff. From Wednesday the 9th of September right through to Monday the 14th of September, we’re back to tiny, poor surf with weak energy, no real standout to get excited about.

So, the best on offer is Sunday the 6th of September morning and Monday the 7th of September morning. The jetty might offer a few lefts and rights if you can find a peak. Don’t get your hopes up too high for the long-range – the second week is a write-off. If you’re a kiter, with the strong winds and choppy conditions, this setup might be more interesting for you than paddle surfing.

Rusty out.

Read more