Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, me again. Let's have a proper look at the next couple of weeks down at Pismo Beach Pier.

To be honest, it's a bit of a slow start. The first few days are pretty gutless, with tiny, weak surf and those cross-onshore breezes chopping everything up. Water temp's sitting at about 64°, which is a touch warmer than it should be this time of year, so that's a small win.

The first real chance of a wave comes on Tuesday, August 18th. The swell bumps up to around 5 to 6 feet, but the period drops right off to a short 8 seconds, and the wind is still side-shore. It's going to be lumpy and uninviting, but there's a bit of energy in the water, with combined energy readings of 485 and 609.

To be fair, the whole first week is pretty average. The swell keeps trying to show up, but the wind just won't play fair. It's a constant cross or cross-on, which is a shame. Wave heights hover between 2 and 5 feet, and the periods are short and weak. It's a grind, not a glory day.

We hit a real flat spell around the 24th and 25th of August. The swell just dies, with waves dropping to barely 1 to 2 feet. The period stretches out to a long 17 and 18 seconds, but without any size, that long-period groundswell is just a tease.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Around Wednesday, August 26th, the energy starts to build again from the SSW, and things start to look up. We're seeing 4 to 5 feet of swell, and the combined energy jumps to 801 and 886. That's a solid kick of power.

The standout day of the whole window is shaping up to be Thursday, August 27th. We've got a solid 5 feet of SW swell with a nice 14-second period. The energy is pumping, hitting a strong 1091, the best we see all week. The wind is still cross-on, which is a shame, but this is the most size and push on offer. This is the day to be out there if you can.

After that, it all gets a bit messy. We get some long-period swells with no size, and some short-period windswell that just makes things choppy. The 29th of August has a brief moment with a 2-foot, 18-second swell in the morning, but again, no push. The afternoon sees a jump in size to 5 feet, but it's short-period junk.

The very last day, Sunday, August 30th, sees a bit of a energy surge, hitting 784, but the waves are only about 3 feet. Another tease.

So, bottom line, if you're going to pick a day, make it Thursday, August 27th. It's the best combination of size, period, and energy in the whole stretch. The rest of the time, it's a lot of paddling around for not much. Keep your hopes in check and you might be surprised.

Rusty, out.

Read more