Oceanside Pier
Now
Thu Nov 5 · 12–3 PM forecast
3–4 ftwaist to chest
Best tomorrow · Fri 6
Compare bothNothing good left today.
Best tomorrow · Fri 6, 6 to 10:15 AM Pacific.
2–3 ft · thigh to waist
On the small side for a longboard; light offshore wind is grooming the waves.
Oceanside Pier surf guide
Oceanside's long pier, with shifting sandbar peaks to the north and south · 3 things to watch
Oceanside Pier guide
Oceanside's long pier, with shifting sandbar peaks to the north and south.
- Good for
- Beginners on small days north of the pier; the south peaks take more skill.
- The wave
- Shifting lefts and rights over sand.
- Watch for
- Currents toward the pier and a no-surf zone around it.
- Hard boards stay out of flagged swim zones.
- Crowds on good days.
- Best when
- Best on a SSW to WNW swell (200°–295°) with NE offshore wind, at mid tide (about 1.5–4 ft).
MoreLess about Oceanside Pier
Longboards at 1.5–4 ft, shortboards at 2.5–6 ft. Works year-round, on south swells in spring and summer and west swells in fall and winter.
The coast here angles toward the southwest, so it picks up south swells much of San Diego misses and ranks among the county's most consistent stretches. Good days bring a crowd, town standouts included.
Just north, the river mouth and the harbor send runoff into the lineup, and the water turns dirty after storms. Shooting the pier is banned, and so is paddling near it.
- Local tip
- Parking rules are strict near the pier. Paid lots line Mission Avenue and Pier View Way has meters; free parking sits across the train tracks to the east.
GOOD TIDE TODAY8:50–11:00 AM2:40–5:20 PM
Guide updated October 2026
Spot research: WannaSurf, Surf-Forecast, Wikipedia, Surfline, The Green Room Hotel, Deepswell, WeWave, Supergirl Surf Pro, The Outbound, City of Oceanside, Go Surfing San Diego, American Surf Magazine and Visit Oceanside.
Send a spot correctionLive buoy Oceanside Offshore
- WAVES
- 3.4 ft
- PERIOD
- 11s
- FROM
- WSW 253°
- WATER
- 76°
Observed 1:30 PM · 53 min old
7-day surf
LB longboard · SB shortboard
Thu 12 PM · now
3–4 ft · waist to chest ·
9 mph, gusts 10, onshore · tide 0.8 ft falling
Swell near the beach: 3.5 ft every 13 s from SW
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 AM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Epic, shortboard Good, dark hours | 5 mph offshore | 0.6 ft and rising |
| Thu 3 AM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Good | 5 mph, gusts 10, offshore | 2.8 ft and rising |
| Thu 6 AM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Epic, shortboard Good | 5 mph, gusts 11, offshore | 5.4 ft and rising |
| Thu 9 AM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Good | 4 mph, gusts 13, offshore | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Thu 12 PM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 9 mph, gusts 10, onshore | 0.8 ft and falling |
| Thu 3 PM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 10 mph, gusts 13, cross-onshore | 1.8 ft and rising |
| Thu 6 PM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 8 mph, gusts 14, cross-onshore | 4.3 ft and rising |
| Thu 9 PM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Good, dark hours | 5 mph, gusts 6, offshore | 3.2 ft and falling |
| Fri 12 AM | 3–4 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 6 mph, gusts 9, offshore | 1.0 ft and falling |
| Fri 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good | 5 mph, gusts 7, offshore | 2.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good | 7 mph, gusts 14, offshore | 5.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good | 8 mph, gusts 14, offshore | 4.4 ft and falling |
| Fri 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 8 mph, gusts 9, cross-onshore | 0.8 ft and falling |
| Fri 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 9 mph, gusts 11, cross-onshore | 0.7 ft and rising |
| Fri 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 9 mph, gusts 17, cross-onshore | 3.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 6 mph, gusts 10, offshore | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Sat 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 4 mph, gusts 6, offshore | 1.5 ft and falling |
| Sat 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 7 mph, gusts 10, offshore | 2.4 ft and rising |
| Sat 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair | 10 mph, gusts 18, offshore | 5.5 ft and rising |
| Sat 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 9 mph, gusts 14, offshore | 5.0 ft and falling |
| Sat 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph cross-onshore | 1.1 ft and falling |
| Sat 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Poor–Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 9 mph cross-onshore | 0.0 ft and rising |
| Sat 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph, gusts 5, cross-onshore | 2.8 ft and rising |
| Sat 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 3.9 ft and falling |
| Sun 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 4 mph offshore | 2.0 ft and falling |
| Sun 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 4 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Sun 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair | 6 mph offshore | 5.3 ft and rising |
| Sun 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair | 4 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 5.5 ft and falling |
| Sun 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 5 mph onshore | 1.7 ft and falling |
| Sun 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Poor–Fair, shortboard Poor | 10 mph cross-onshore | −0.4 ft and rising |
| Sun 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 3 mph cross-onshore | 1.9 ft and rising |
| Sun 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph, gusts 4, offshore | 3.9 ft and falling |
| Mon 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph, gusts 4, offshore | 2.5 ft and falling |
| Mon 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 5 mph offshore | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Mon 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 5 mph offshore | 5.0 ft and rising |
| Mon 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 5.8 ft and falling |
| Mon 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph onshore | 2.4 ft and falling |
| Mon 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 7 mph cross-onshore | −0.5 ft and falling |
| Mon 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 1.1 ft and rising |
| Mon 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 0 mph, gusts 1, glassy | 3.6 ft and rising |
| Tue 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 1 mph, gusts 2, glassy | 2.9 ft and falling |
| Tue 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Tue 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair–Good | 3 mph offshore | 4.6 ft and rising |
| Tue 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 1 mph, gusts 2, glassy | 5.9 ft and falling |
| Tue 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph onshore | 3.1 ft and falling |
| Tue 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph onshore | −0.2 ft and falling |
| Tue 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph cross-onshore | 0.5 ft and rising |
| Tue 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 2 mph glassy | 3.0 ft and rising |
| Wed 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair, dark hours | 1 mph glassy | 3.2 ft and falling |
| Wed 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 3 mph offshore | 2.5 ft and rising |
| Wed 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Good, shortboard Fair | 3 mph offshore | 4.3 ft and rising |
| Wed 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair–Good, shortboard Fair | 2 mph glassy | 5.8 ft and rising |
| Wed 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Longboard Fair, shortboard Poor–Fair | 7 mph onshore | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Wed 3 PM | Waves unavailable | Longboard Unavailable, shortboard Unavailable | 8 mph onshore | 0.4 ft and falling |
| Wed 6 PM | Waves unavailable | Longboard Unavailable, shortboard Unavailable, dark hours | 4 mph cross-onshore | 0.2 ft and rising |
| Wed 9 PM | Waves unavailable | Longboard Unavailable, shortboard Unavailable, dark hours | 1 mph, gusts 2, glassy | 2.4 ft and rising |
Today’s tide
GOOD 8:50–11:00 AM2:40–5:20 PM
La Jolla · feet above low water
Swell
New WNW swell fills in Monday morning.
Best session from it: Tue 6–10:15 AM at Oceanside
Details
New WNW swell (13s) fills in Monday morning, peaks Monday afternoon.
Wave forecast checked against the live Oceanside Offshore buoy.
Updated 2:03 PM · CDIP/Scripps, Open-Meteo and NOAA.
Common questions
Is Oceanside Pier good for beginners?
Yes when it’s small; bigger days suit surfers with some experience.
What tide is best at Oceanside Pier?
It’s best at mid tide (about 1.5–4 ft).
What swell works at Oceanside Pier?
A SSW to WNW swell (200°–295°) is best, with NE offshore wind. It picks up swell from S to NW (175°–305°). Works year-round, on south swells in spring and summer and west swells in fall and winter.
What board should I ride at Oceanside Pier?
Either works: longboards at 1.5–4 ft, shortboards at 2.5–6 ft.
What should I watch out for at Oceanside Pier?
Currents toward the pier and a no-surf zone around it; hard boards stay out of flagged swim zones; and crowds on good days.