Oceanside Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s look at what’s cooking for Oceanside Pier.

Right now, Wednesday the 15th, we’ve got a tiny 1ft southwest groundswell with a really long 17-second period, but the wind is blowing right on it from the southwest, which is no good. The water temp is pretty normal for July. The energy is weak (210), and the surf is looking borderline at best. That stays the same through Friday, with the swell barely nudging up to 2ft and cross-onshore winds making things a little bumpy. We have a run of poor surf through Saturday the 18th, where it finally hits 3ft, but the wind is still on it from the southwest, and it’s only rated as marginal.

Sunday the 19th into Monday the 20th sees a little more height – around 3ft to 3ft – but it’s all cross-onshore winds from the west-southwest, keeping things messy. The energy is building (up to 829), but the quality is lacking. By Tuesday the 21st, the swell gets up to 4ft from the south-southwest, and for the first time we get a break with light breezes from the west-southwest in the morning, making it an onshore wind but light enough to keep it clean-ish. Still only marginal though.

The real standout – and I mean the only time we see some real promise – is over the weekend of Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th. By Saturday afternoon, the swell jumps to 6ft from the south-southwest, then Sunday morning it’s a solid 6ft from the same direction, with light to gentle breezes from the south-southwest and southwest. This is the biggest swell of the outlook, and with the wind swinging onshore and light, the sets could have some real push. The energy peaks strong at 1901 on Sunday morning. But – and this is a big caveat – this is a powerful, long-period groundswell with a period around 14 to 18 seconds. At a beach break like Oceanside Pier, that kind of long-period swell can break really straight and close out. It’s better suited to a point or reef. Still, for the experienced crew, Sunday the 26th morning is your best shot. After that, the swell drops back to a more manageable 4ft to 5ft for the next few days, with light winds and still some energy, but nothing that really stands out as clean or punchy.

So, to be honest, it’s a pretty quiet outlook for Oceanside Pier. There’s a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions from now until the 25th. The only window that has some size and decent-enough wind is that Sunday the 26th, but it’s a tricky one. If you’re determined, wait for that day, but don’t expect perfection. The crowd is sometimes an issue here, and that day will bring them out.

Rusty.

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