Oceanside Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a flat spell to work through. The first real surf we can talk about comes in on Saturday, August 29th, but don’t get too excited – it’s a marginal call. The water is sitting at a very warm 77°F with a big anomaly of 9°F, so it’s way warmer than usual for this time of year at Oceanside Pier.

Saturday morning’s the pick of the first few days, but it’s still only a so-so prospect. We’ve got a 4ft SSW swell with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is moderate at 743. The wind is light and from the WSW, blowing straight onshore. That long period will give you some nice shaped lines, but it’s prone to being a bit walled-off at a beach break like this. The afternoon turns choppy with a cross-onshore breeze. Sunday and Monday are similar story – small, onshore, and messy. Monday morning drops to 3ft with a period of 14 seconds, but the wind is still on it. The energy is dropping fast (520). Honestly, the first weekend is a write-off for anything clean.

The following week doesn’t pick up much. Tuesday through Thursday is all marginal to poor with cross-onshore winds and swell under 3ft. The best chance for a surf in that stretch is Thursday, September 3rd morning, with a 3ft SSW swell at 12 seconds and a light cross-onshore breeze. The wave energy is low (480), so it’s a groveler’s session at best.

We finally see a slight uptick on Friday, September 4th. The morning offers a 3ft SSW swell, 17-second period, with light onshore wind. The energy is getting up there at 766. It’s still marginal, but the longer period gives it a bit more push. The wind stays light through the morning, so the first few hours might be okay. Saturday, September 5th is similar – 4ft at 16 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore again. Still, the energy is moderate (764), so there’s some grunt in the water.

The only real standout in this whole 16-day window is Monday, September 7th, in the morning. Swell is small at 3ft, but it’s a 15-second SSW groundswell with light wind from the SW, blowing straight onshore. The real kicker is the score – it’s the highest we see. The energy is moderate (534). The wind is light and steady, which will keep the surface clean. It’s not a big swell, but it’s the most promising session for the whole period. The crowds are listed as “sometimes”, so you might have a few others out, but it’s not going to be packed.

After that, it fades. Tuesday, September 8th afternoon gets a bump in swell to 5ft, but the wind swings to a moderate cross-onshore W at 12 mph, making it choppy and poor. That’s too big for beginners and only for experts if you can handle the chop. The rest of the second week is a slow decline – small swell, poor conditions, and weak energy. By Saturday, September 13th, we’re down to 1ft with a 18-second period, but the energy is weak (217) and the wind is cross-onshore. Not worth paddling out for.

Rusty.

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