Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next 16 days at Pismo Beach Pier.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the first week is a bit of a struggle. We've got small, weak swell hanging around, mostly from the SW with a cross-on breeze messing up the surface. The water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is about normal for this time of year. The wave energy is weak (528) and the period is a long 18 seconds, which is a groundswell that can be tricky at a beach break like this – it might break too straight. The surf is tiny, around 2 feet, and the wind is a light cross-on, keeping things a touch bumpy. For the next few days, the swell height barely nudges above 3 feet, and the energy stays moderate at best. The wind stays cross-on, so it's not going to be clean. Honestly, Saturday and Sunday are not looking like surfing days.

Monday and Tuesday the 20th and 21st are much the same. We're stuck with small, poorly shaped waves and a constant cross-on breeze. The energy is moderate (around 575), but the period drops to 12 seconds, which is still a bit short for good shape. The wind is still onshore, so expect chop. It's a real grind. The combined swell energy is in the 500s, so it's there, but it's not doing anything special.

Then from Wednesday the 22nd to Friday the 24th, the energy really drops off. The combined swell energy falls to 248 (weak) by Thursday, and the swell is only 3 feet. The wind is still cross-on. This is a real blank patch. There's a slight uptick on Friday the 24th with a 24-second period swell, but it's only 2 feet, so it's a long-period groundswell that's too small to do anything with a cross-on wind.

Now, the second week finally shows some promise. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th see a rebuild, with the swell energy climbing to 1050 (strong) and the swell staying around 3 feet from the SW. The period is a nice 21 seconds, which is a solid groundswell. The wind is still light and cross-on, but it's better than the moderate breeze we had. The energy is building, but the waves are still pretty small.

The real standout starts on Monday the 27th. The swell energy jumps to 1123 (strong) and we see 4 feet of SW swell with an 18-second period. The wind is light and cross-on, so it's still a bit bumpy, but the energy is there. Tuesday the 28th is even better, with the energy hitting 1354 and 4 feet of SW swell. The wind is still light cross-on. This is the best run of the forecast, but the wind is the only thing holding it back from being perfect.

The biggest bump in size comes on Wednesday the 29th, with 7 feet of WNW swell, but the period is only 10 seconds. That's a short-period windswell, and it's going to be a handful. At 7 feet, it's pushing into the "too big for beginners" zone, and the short period will make it dumpy and hard to paddle into. The wind is light cross-on, but the quality is going to be marginal. The combined energy is still strong (1189), but it's going to be a messy, powerful wave. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle-surfing day.

Thursday the 30th drops to 5 feet from the WNW, still with a 10-second period. The energy is down to 782 (moderate), and the wind is light cross-on. It's still on the bigger side, but the short period means it won't be the best shape.

After that, it tails off into small, weak surf again. The best bet in the whole 16 days is the run from Monday the 27th to Tuesday the 28th. It's not a classic, perfect day, but it's the most consistent mix of size and energy. The swell is 4 feet from the SW, and the period is a solid 18-19 seconds. The wind is light, so it'll be a bit bumpy, but there'll be some fun, long-period lines to be had. It's not a world-class session, but it's the best of a pretty average patch.

Rusty.

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