Pismo Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for our local waters.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of small, messy surf with hardly any windows of real quality. The first solid recommendation we get isn't until the very end of the run, so we’ve got a lot of flat, crummy days to get through first.

Pismo Beach Pier is the only spot on the radar, and it’s a real mixed bag. The water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is actually just about normal for this time of year, so no shocks there.

For the first week, from Saturday the 25th of July right through to Saturday the 1st of August, it’s a grind. Swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the SW, with periods that are long but not really doing us any favors. The wind is a constant cross or cross-onshore, light to moderate, keeping the surface bumpy and chopped. The wave energy is weak, bouncing between 738 and 940, so there’s just no push. The waves are small, weak, and wonky. There’s a slight uptick in size on the 31st and 1st of August, with swell hitting 4ft to 5ft, but the period drops and the wind stays cross-onshore, so it’s still just a messy, marginal affair. Honestly, this is a stretch where you’re better off leaving the boards in the car.

Then we hit a real dead zone. From Sunday the 2nd of August all the way through to Saturday the 9th of August, the outlook is grim. The swell drops to 1ft to 2ft, and the energy numbers are pathetic, falling to between 112 and 156. The waves are just not there. Inconsistent, weak, and often with onshore wind. It’s a blank run that’s pretty normal for a summer slow-down.

Finally, on Sunday the 9th of August, there’s a tiny glimmer. We see a pulse of long-period swell from the SSW, 2ft with a 17-second period, and the energy bumps up to 267. The wind goes light cross-onshore in the morning, and in the afternoon we get a 2ft, 18-second swell with a *slight air* and an onshore wind, which is almost glassy. For a spot that’s been this flat, that afternoon on the 9th of August is the closest thing to a standout we’ve got. It’s not going to be big, but that long-period groundswell will have some shape on the sets, and with the wind going light and variable, it could actually be clean for a few hours. It’s a long way out, but it’s the only hope in the window.

Rusty, signing off.

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