Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks around Pismo Beach Pier. The key thing to know is that the guidebook says this spot is ideal with a WNW swell, and for the entire 16-day window, that's the direction the swell is coming from for most of the better pulses. It's an exposed break, so it catches everything, but that also means the quality can be a mixed bag depending on the wind.

The main challenge early on is that the wind isn't playing nice. For the first part of the run, we've got a lot of cross and cross-onshore flow, which is kicking up a bit of chop. The water temperature is sitting right around 60 °F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing too wild there.

Alright, let's break it down day by day. We kick off Monday afternoon, July 6, with a small, knee-high swell at 2 ft from the SW and a very long 16-second period. That long period at a beach break like this can make it a bit straight, but the wave energy is moderate (537). The wind is cross-shore, so it’s not clean. It’s surfable, but marginal.

Tuesday, July 7, sees a slight bump in size to 3 ft, again from the SW with that lovely 18-second period. The morning is cross-onshore, creating a chop, and the afternoon is a cross-shore with a cross-chop. The energy is ramping up—moderate, getting into the 781 to 915 range—but the wind is keeping things messy. Not our best bet.

By Wednesday, July 8, the swell jumps. The morning is 3 ft from the SW with a 16-second period, cross-shore wind. Then the afternoon hits: 8 ft from the WNW, but the period drops to a very short 8 seconds. The energy is strong (1161), but that short period and cross wind will make for a lumpy, bumpy, close-out heavy session. Okay for experienced paddle surfers, but it won't be pretty.

Thursday, July 9, offers something a little better. The morning is 6 ft, and the afternoon bumps to 8 ft, both from the WNW with an 8-second period. The energy is strong (854 to 1111). Still cross winds, but the score is slightly higher than the previous days. It’s still going to be a challenge with the chop.

Now, we get to the first real standout. Friday morning, July 10th. The swell drops to a very manageable 6 ft from the WNW with a slightly longer 9-second period. The energy is moderate (688). But the big win is the wind: a light breeze from the WSW, making it only a light cross-onshore with small wind ripples. For Pismo, this is the cleanest window we’ve seen so far. The water is still a little bumpy, but this is the pick of the first week for a paddle out for intermediate surfers. It's not glassy, but it's the closest we'll get.

Saturday, July 11, drops right off. 3 ft from the SW with a long 15-second period, but the wind is onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon. Energy is moderate-low (475 and 334). Not worth the paddle.

From Sunday, July 12, through Sunday, July 19, it’s a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. We see a lot of small SW swells with long periods, and a few pulses of bigger, short-period WNW swell mid-week. The wind is consistently cross or cross-onshore, with a couple of days of gentle breezes. The energy mostly sits under 700, bouncing between moderate-low and moderate. There's a small window on Saturday afternoon, July 18, with a 4 ft WNW swell at 9 seconds and a light cross-onshore breeze (587 energy). That's about the best of a bad bunch for that second week, but it's nothing to write home about. The water stays around that normal temperature.

Monday, July 20, is more of the same: small SW swell, long period, little wind, but very small and weak.

The last real pulse of swell we see is on Tuesday, July 21. The afternoon brings 6 ft from the WNW with a short 7-second period, but it's listed as poor surf conditions. The energy is moderate (426), but the short period and 6 mph wind from the west create a light cross-onshore bump.

So what’s the bottom line? If you have to pick a session, Friday morning, July 10, is your best bet. That 6 ft WNW swell with the lighter wind will offer the cleanest waves of the whole outlook, even if it's not perfect. It’s a manageable size for most intermediate surfers. After that, the forecast gets pretty bleak for clean, quality waves. Saturday afternoon, July 18, offers a small, cleaner option, but it’s a distant second. The rest of the time, it’s a battle against the chop and onshore winds. The long periods on the smaller SW swells are tempting, but they aren't likely to produce much at this beach.

That's the picture from here. Keep an eye on the wind, and for the love of wax, don't waste your time on the big, short-period stuff unless you're kiting.

Rusty.

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