Oceanside Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. I’ll level with you – this 16-day stretch for Oceanside Pier is a quiet one. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out run of small, south-southwest swell with persistent cross-onshore wind, so if you’re after clean, punchy waves, you’ll be waiting a long time. The first six days are basically a write-off, with poor surf conditions and nothing worth paddling out for. The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting around 69°, which is pleasant enough for a swim, but not for surfing.

From Thursday the 2nd through to Sunday the 6th, it’s small – swell heights barely touching 3ft-3ft from the SSW, combined wave energy in the low 400s to low 500s (moderate energy). The wind is cross-onshore from the WSW or W, light to gentle, but enough to ruffle things up. Not a single session cracks a score above 0 during this period – just poor surf conditions and a couple of marginal tags on the Sunday and Monday.

Then we move into the second week, from around Tuesday the 8th through the rest of the run. Slight improvement, but still nothing to get excited about. Swell bumps up a hair to around 3ft-4ft from the SSW, combined energy climbing into the 600s and 800s (moderate to strong energy), and the wind shifts to light and onshore. That’s better, but the wave comment stays stuck on “marginal” at best. Tuesday the 8th afternoon nudges a 2 out of 10 – the best of the lot – with 4ft SSW swell and light onshore wind. The period is around 16 seconds, which is a decent long-period groundswell, but at a beach break, that can be a bit too straight and full. Still, it’s clean enough for a few grovelly rides if you’re desperate.

After that, it fades fast. From Friday the 10th onward, swell drops back to 3ft and then smaller, combined energy slides into the 100s and 200s (weak to low moderate), and the wind goes back to cross-onshore. The last few days from the 15th to the 17th are tiny, around 1ft-2ft SSW swell, with very long periods of 16-19 seconds – that’s a groundswell but with barely any height, so just long waits between nothing.

The one standout – if you can call it that – is Wednesday the 8th afternoon. It’s the only time we get something close to a clean window: 4ft of SSW swell with light onshore wind. Combined energy is 693 (strong moderate), and the long 16-second period will give it some shape, but it’s still a beach break caveat. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so expect company, but if you’re keen, that’s your best bet across the whole 16 days.

Otherwise, it’s a long blank run. Oceanside Pier is very consistent on paper, but this forecast is a stretch of poor conditions that can happen in summer. Forecasts can change, so don’t write it off completely, but as it stands – not much happening.

Rusty.

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