Oceanside Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight about it – this outlook for Oceanside Harbor is a tough one. The whole 16-day run is dominated by small, weak swell and tricky winds. The best you can say is that the water is a touch warmer than normal for early July, sitting around 69°, about 3° above average for the time of year, but that’s small comfort when the waves just aren’t cooperating.

We’ve got a long gap of proper dud conditions right from the start. The first few days – July 2nd through July 4th – are a write-off. Tiny 3ft to 3ft SSW swell with a long period of 16 to 18 seconds, but it’s all cross-onshore wind and the wave comment says it all: poor surf. The combined energy is moderate at best, around 378 to 474.

Things creep into just barely surfable territory come Sunday July 5th. The morning shows 3ft SSW swell at 18 seconds, combined energy at 513, and the call is “marginal.” Still, the wind is a gentle cross-onshore breeze. That’s not clean, and the crowd factor is likely. If you’re a beginner, this is your window – barely. The water is still warm.

Monday July 6th holds similar: 2-3ft SSW swell, 16 seconds, energy around 533-592. Morning has a light onshore breeze, which is slightly better, but still marginal. Tuesday July 7th pushes up to 4ft SSW swell at 18 seconds, energy jumping to 820-866. That’s the most energy we see all forecast. The morning has light offshore wind. This is the standout of the whole run – the only one worth calling a highlight. The swell direction is from the SSW, which is the optimum direction for the break, and with light offshore wind, it could be clean. Keep in mind this is a beach/jetty setup, and with a long period of 18 seconds, it might be a bit straight and fat, but for the harbor, it’s the best on offer. This is for advanced surfers only, as it’s over 3ft and the jetty can be tricky. Crowds are likely here.

Wednesday July 8th is similar, around 4ft SSW swell, energy dropping from 843 to 693, still marginal. Thursday July 9th holds at 3ft but the wind turns cross-onshore again, killing the quality.

From Friday July 10th onward, it’s a slow fade. Swell heights drop to 3ft and then lower, energy falls below 400, and eventually by mid-July we’re looking at 1-2ft swells with combined energy in the 150-260 range. That’s weak, and the wind stays cross-on or onshore. Nothing worth paddling out for through to July 17th.

Overall, if you’re keen for a session, target Tuesday July 7th morning – it’s the only real shout. The rest of the run is a gap of poor to marginal conditions stretching a full 10 days after that. Not much to get excited about here. But forecasts can change, so don’t write it off completely.

Rusty.

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