Oceanside Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Oceanside Pier has on the menu for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a slow cooker, so don't expect any fireworks early on.

Right off the bat, Friday the 28th kicks off with some small but clean options. We've got a long-period groundswell rolling in from the SSW at 3ft on the morning, with a period of 17 seconds. That's some serious energy for the size (515 combined energy). The water is sitting at 75°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 7° above average, so you can leave the 4/3 at home. The wind is a light SW breeze, so it's blowing onshore but very light, keeping things rideable. The afternoon sees a similar 2ft swell with an even longer 19-second period (545 combined energy). It's not big, but with that period, the waves will have some push and shape, especially if you pick your tide right. The catch? It's labelled as marginal due to tide, so keep an eye on the water levels.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, the swell nudges up to 4ft, but the winds get a bit more cross-onshore and bumpy. The wave energy builds into the 700-760 range, but the quality takes a hit. The waves will be there, but you'll be fighting a bit of chop.

Monday the 31st sees the swell dip back to 3ft, and the wind goes cross-onshore again, making for poor conditions. This pattern of small, cross-onshore junk continues right through the first week of September. From Tuesday the 1st all the way through to Wednesday the 9th, it’s a real struggle. The combined energy drops into the 200-500 range, and every single session is flagged as "poor surf conditions." It's flat and choppy, not worth paddling out for. The only bright spot is that Thursday the 3rd morning shows a bit more size (4ft) and a 15-second period (848 combined energy), with a light onshore SW wind. It’s marginal, but it’s the best of a bad bunch in that first week.

Now, for the second week, things start to look a bit more promising, but we're still dealing with messy winds. Friday the 4th of September shows a 3ft, 17-second SSW groundswell with light onshore wind in the morning (901 combined energy). It's still marginal, but the period is there. The real standout in the whole forecast, and it's a bit of a long-range call so keep your fingers crossed, is Friday the 11th of September. We get a jump in size with a 5ft S swell and a 14-second period (1042 combined energy – that's a solid, strong pulse). The wind is still cross-onshore, but only a gentle breeze in the afternoon. It's the biggest, most energetic swell of the whole period, and with the light wind, it's the best bet for a proper session. It's going to be a little raw, but that's a lot of water moving.

Saturday the 12th of September keeps the energy up with a 5ft S swell (941 combined energy) in the morning, but the period drops a touch to 13 seconds. It's on the bigger side, maybe one for the experienced crew. The wind stays cross-onshore again.

Overall, it's a rough start with about a week of small, choppy slop. The only window worth getting excited about is the second weekend, specifically Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of September. If you're going to pick one, make it the 11th for the strongest pulse of energy. Keep your expectations low for the first week, but don't write the whole month off.

Rusty.

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