Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good hard look at what old man ocean has in store for us at Pismo Beach Pier over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week or so is looking pretty underwhelming. The swell is small and the wind just won't play ball. Don't get your hopes up too early. There’s a real dry spell here for the first week with nothing worth paddling out for.

We're looking at Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd, and the surf is poor. A tiny 1 ft swell from the SW, with a really long period of 16 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but it's got no grunt – the combined energy is only 164 (weak). On top of that, we’ve got a 12 mph cross-breeze creating a messy cross-chop. Not a chance I’m wetting a wetsuit for that.

Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th don't get much better. The swell limps up to around 3 ft to 3 ft, but it's still coming from the SSW and SW, with onshore and cross-onshore winds chopping it all up. The energy readings bump up a bit (302 to 829), meaning moderate energy, but the quality is still labelled as poor or marginal at best.

The weekend of the 5th and 6th? Still a struggle, folks. Swells around 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, with periods dropping to 14-16 seconds. Wind is variable but mostly cross or cross-on. The wave comments stay marginal. It’s just not coming together. The water temp is about 61°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no thermal surprises, just disappointing surf.

The whole first week, right through to about the 14th of September, is a real slog. The swell height occasionally touches 4 ft, but the direction flips from SSW to a bit of WNW, and with onshore winds or cross-shore chop, you’re just looking at poor to marginal surf. There are a few hours with Slight air and glassy conditions on the cards, like Sunday morning the 13th, but the swell is only 3 ft to 3 ft – tiny, weak little waves.

Now, if there’s one standout in this whole outlook, it’s the morning of Thursday, September 17th. That’s a bright spot, but we’re a long way off and the crystal ball gets a little foggy out that far. Still, what we’re seeing looks promising.

For that Thursday morning, we’ve got a clean 3 ft swell from the WNW with an 11-second period that should offer OK shape. The combined energy is a moderate 405. But the real kicker? The wind is glassy. Absolutely dead calm – light air from the west. That means the surface of the water will be like a mirror. For a break like Pismo Beach Pier, that’s a major positive. It’s an exposed spot, so when it cleans up, the waves have a chance. The swell direction matches the optimum WNW direction nicely. This is the window to watch.

Crowds at Pismo can be a hassle sometimes, so if this forecast holds, get down early that morning for the cleanest, most fun conditions of the whole 16 days. It’s not huge, so it’s perfect for a longboard or a funboard, but any beginner should be fine on waves under 5 ft.

The rest of that second week has a few marginal moments, but nothing holds a candle to that glassy Thursday morning. The 16th has a period of 15 seconds from the SW with 2 ft swell and slight air, which might be clean but small.

So, bottom line: wait it out. The first week is a write-off. Mark your calendar for Thursday the 17th and keep your fingers crossed that the long-range forecast holds.

Rusty.

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