Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, I’ve had a good look at the wave models for the Pismo Beach Pier area over the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a tough stretch. There’s no real standout, no day where everything clicks into place for a proper session. The energy is there at times, but the quality just isn’t happening.

We start off on Tuesday, 4th August with some small, weak swell. You’re looking at a 3ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, but it’s all cross-on with a light W wind, so it’s a bit bumpy and pretty average. The combined energy is moderate at best (254), and the waves are just too messy to get excited about. Wednesday and Thursday are even smaller and weaker, with the swell dipping to 1ft and periods all over the place. That Thursday afternoon the wind picks up to a gentle breeze, 9 mph from the WNW, making things choppy. This is a stretch of poor surf, no way around it.

There’s a little spike of energy around Sunday the 9th into Monday the 10th. By Sunday afternoon the swell jumps to 5ft from the NW, but the period is a short 8 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to 586—moderate. Problem is, the wind is still cross-on from the WSW, so it’s not clean. Monday morning holds 4ft from the WNW with a 9-second period and energy at 518, but again, the wind is onshore or cross-on. These days are the best on offer, but they’re still marginal. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

The real kick comes on Wednesday, 12th August, when the swell pushes up to 5ft from the NW with a 9-second period. The combined energy hits a strong 901, which is the biggest number in the whole window. That’s a lot of water moving. But the wave comment still calls it “marginal surf,” and with 6 mph cross-on winds, it’s not going to be a classic. For a surfer, it’s going to be a bumpy, choppy affair. That 5ft is also getting into the zone where beginners should think twice.

After that, it drops back down into the 2ft to 3ft range for the second week, with a mix of SW and WNW swell. The periods are long—14 to 19 seconds—so you get that groundswell energy, but the wave heights are just too small and the wind never truly cleans up. There are gaps of several days here where the surf is rated as poor, so it’s a long stretch of wait-and-see. Honestly, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on many of those days, especially when the wind is up and the waves are weak and choppy.

The crowds at Pismo Beach Pier can be there sometimes, but honestly, with this quality, I doubt you’ll be fighting many people for a wave. It’s a beach setup, and with the swell direction mostly from the WNW or SW, it’s not getting the perfect hit. The optimum direction for this spot is WNW, so the swells that come from that angle have the best shot, but the wind just ruins it.

So, to sum it up: the best chance you’ve got is Sunday 9th through to Wednesday 12th August, with the Wednesday afternoon having the most grunt. But don’t expect perfection. It’s a real struggle to find a clean, fun wave in this outlook. The forecasts can always change, but as it stands, I’d be looking for somewhere else or having a backup plan.

Rusty.

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