Oswald State Park/Short Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The way things are shaping up at Oswald State Park/Short Sands, I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window is a tough one. We’ve got very little real surf on offer, and what’s there is mostly small, messy, or blown out. The water is sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for late July, about 3° below average, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

Let’s start with Thursday afternoon, July 23rd. The first bit of swell rolls in at 4 ft from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. Combined energy is moderate at 301. Wind is light from the W at 6 mph, so it’s onshore but light enough not to ruin it entirely. Still, the forecast calls it marginal, and honestly, for a beginner-friendly spot like this, it’s not going to be a standout day. It’s just barely rideable.

Then we hit a long dry spell. From Friday morning July 24th all the way through to Wednesday August 6th, the surf is either tiny, weak, or getting chopped up by cross and cross-onshore winds. Swell heights mostly hover between 1 ft and 3 ft, with short periods suckin’ the life out of any wave shape. The wind is almost always a cross or cross-onshore breeze, ranging from 6 to 19 mph, and the wave energy is low to moderate at best (45-719). There’s a two-week stretch here where the best score we see is a 2 out of 10, and that’s only on Sunday July 26th morning and afternoon, with 3 ft and 3 ft SW swell at 19-20 seconds—long period, sure, but weak energy. The wind is light, but it’s cross or onshore, so don’t expect much more than small, clean-ish waves for a patient surfer.

Now, the only real uptick comes Thursday August 6th morning. Swell bumps up to 5 ft from the W, with a period of 9 seconds, and combined energy hits 431. That’s moderate but not strong. Wind is light from the NW at 6 mph, but it’s cross-onshore, so the surface won’t be glassy. The wave comment still says “poor surf conditions,” so while the size is there, the quality is lacking. This is the biggest swell of the whole outlook, but it’s not clean. For a spot that’s exposed to SW swell, a W swell is okay, but the short period and cross-onshore wind mean it’s more of a lumpy, choppy day than a proper session.

For beginners, that 5 ft on August 6th could be a bit much, especially when it’s messy. For anyone else, it’s just not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate. The rest of the window fades back into tiny, weak junk through to August 7th.

Standout? There isn’t one. No day here deserves a shout as the best on offer. It’s a flat, windy, or marginal run. Oswald State Park/Short Sands usually gets more consistent action, but this 16-day window is a bust. Forecasts can change, but right now, you’re better off doing something else.

Rusty.

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