Oceanside Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, giving you the straight-up on what’s going down at Oceanside Pier.

Look, let’s be honest. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty average. We've got swell, but it's fighting a losing battle with the wind most days. It’s not a total write-off, but you’ll have to pick your moments carefully. The water is sitting at 69°, which is a touch warmer than what we’d normally expect for this time of year, so at least the paddle out won’t be a shock.

We kick things off on Monday, the 6th of July, with a 3 ft swell from the SSW. The energy is weak to moderate here (608). It’s a long-period groundswell at 16 seconds, which means there’s some juice in the lines, but with a cross-on 9 mph breeze, it’s going to be bumpy. The score is low, so don't get your hopes up.

Tuesday the 7th is actually your best bet for a paddle, but it’s not a stand-out. We get a clean window Tuesday morning with offshore wind from the SW at 6 mph. The swell bumps up just a touch to 4 ft from the same SSW direction, with that same long, 18-second period. The energy is moderate (835). It’s still a marginal call, but if you hit that early window, it’ll be the cleanest you’ll see all week. The wind swings cross-on in the afternoon, chopping it up.

Wednesday the 8th is a repeat of Tuesday, with a clean morning from the SW again at 6 mph, but the swell drops slightly to 3 ft. There’s still moderate energy (875). Afternoon sees a light onshore breeze but the surf quality is still poor.

From Thursday the 9th all the way through to Sunday the 21st of July, it’s a long slog. The swell hangs around between 1 ft and 3 ft, but the wind is either onshore or cross-on nearly every day, making it choppy and bumpy. We get a brief touch of bigger energy on Saturday the 18th (677), but it's getting hammered by a 9 mph cross-on wind from the S. There’s a little window on Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st with some lighter wind, but the waves are small and weak. Honestly, for most of that second week, the surf is so poor and the wind so messy that this beach setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing if you want any real fun.

So, to sum it up: for the surfers, the best window is Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th in the morning. Get out early for the cleanest, longest lines. After that, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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