Pacific City-Gas Chambers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Pacific City-Gas Chambers.

First off, the water is running a lot colder than usual for this time of year – we’re talking 55°F and a -4°F anomaly. That’s much colder than normal, so you’ll want a good thick suit.

The first few days are a slog. We’ve got small, weak windswell with short periods, bouncing around 3ft to 4ft from the NW, but the wind is always cross or cross-on. The wave energy is modest at best on the 6th of August with a combined energy of 283, and it just gets choppy and messy. Friday the 7th through Sunday the 11th is a proper lull – tiny waves, poor conditions, and cross-shore breezes. You’ll be fighting an onshore wind most days, making it look more like a kite session than a paddle session. This stretch is a write-off.

We get a bit of a pulse on the 12th of August with 5ft from the NW, but the period is short at 6 seconds and the wind is cross. It’s still not worth paddling out for. The pattern holds through the 17th – small, choppy, and messy. There’s a whole week of nothing decent here.

But hold on, things start to get interesting around the 18th of August. We see a big jump in combined energy, hitting 923 on Tuesday morning, and then 1378 on Tuesday afternoon with a 6ft swell from the WNW and a 14-second period. The wind is still a bit cross-on, but the energy is there. It’s not quite clean yet, but it’s a sign of what’s coming.

The real standout is Wednesday the 19th of August. This is the one to circle. We’ve got a solid 6ft swell from the WNW, with a 13-second period, and the wind swings around to an ESE cross-offshore at just 3 mph. The combined energy is 1364 – strong. The report says clean and excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a proper groundswell pulse with clean conditions. The only catch is that at 6ft, it’s pushing into the big end for beginners, so this is for the crew who know what they’re doing.

Thursday the 20th of August is also a good shout. The swell drops back to 5ft from the WNW with an 11-second period, and we get glassy conditions in the morning. The combined energy is 646, moderate but still decent. It’s a great follow-up day for a more relaxed session. After that, it fades back into smaller, less interesting stuff through the 21st.

So, the best on offer is clear: Wednesday the 19th of August is your standout. Clean, strong swell, and experienced-level conditions. Thursday the 20th is the backup if you want a slightly smaller, glassy morning. The rest of the window is a tough watch.

Rusty.

Read more