San Clemente Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the first week and a half is pretty grim. We’re looking at a long stretch from Thursday, July 9th right through to Friday, July 17th where the surf is basically flat or junk. You’ll see small, weak swells mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and the wind is stuck cross-onshore or onshore for most of it. The combined energy figures are mostly in the low to mid hundreds (344 to 634), which is weak. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird there. Honestly, this is a time to wax the board and wait.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday, July 18th. San Clemente Pier gets a pulse of SSE swell. The morning brings in 5ft at 16 seconds, and by the afternoon it’s up to 6ft at 16 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 1778 in the morning and 2967 in the afternoon – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but it’s the best we’ve seen. This is a long-period groundswell, so expect cleaner lines and better shape, but it might wall up a bit on the beach break. It’s still manageable for most intermediates, but 6ft is getting a bit punchy for beginners.

Sunday, July 19th continues with the S swell, 7ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon. That 7ft is getting into expert territory, but if you’re confident, the morning has onshore wind and the afternoon is cross-onshore. The energy is still decent (1418 and 1074), but the wind is a bit more on it.

The standout here is Saturday the 18th – that’s your best bet. The swell is solid, the period is long, and the wind is about as good as it’s going to get for this stretch. The crowd situation at San Clemente Pier is “often” busy, so expect company, but for this area, that’s the price of a clean wave.

After that, the surf drops back into the doldrums from Monday, July 20th onward. Swells shrink to 2ft to 3ft, and the energy fades back under 500. The wind stays cross-onshore. It’s a real bummer, but these flat spells happen. Nothing to get excited about until the very end of the outlook, where we see a slight uptick on Thursday, July 23rd and Friday, July 24th, with SSW swells around 4ft and energy hitting 948 and 1273. That’s promising, but it’s more than a week away, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Overall, if you’re keen, make the call for Saturday the 18th. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only real session in the bunch.

Rusty.

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