Oceanside Harbor Reef and Surf
The
Reef:
All
throughout the beach at the harbor, there is no real reef
but there can be the occasional rock or two in the lineup.
There actually tends to be an abundance of sand along this
beach for a few reasons. The first is because the pump sand
into the beach to keep it from getting too rocky due to our
down shore drift. Another large reason the harbor is so
sandy is because the jetties act like a barrier and keep in
much of the sand that would normally travel South throughout
the seasons.
As you move closer to the
jetties, you will find more and more rocks under the lineup
so take caution as you get closer to those. Sometimes the
rocks can only be a few feet below the surface on a low tide
so please be careful while enjoying the surf.
The
Surf:
Best
Tide: Low to Medium tides are the best for these
Oceanside beaches.
Best
Swell Directing: Because of the direction of these
beaches, almost any swell direction can get in here and
create some good waves. West and Northwest provide clean and
strong lines while South and Southwest swells can provide
very rampy and fun waves.
Best
Winds: No wind is best but if any, a East wind will do
wonders.
Best
Size: Anywhere from 2 - 8 feet can lead to ideal surf.
Best
Months to Catch it Going Off: Pretty much year around
depending on the swell and conditions.
A lot of
San Diego Locals can agree that if the surf is small that
the Oceanside harbor is the place to go because it always
seems to be just that much bigger. Well I can’t verify
whether these rumors are true or not but I can tell you that
I’ve been staying at a friends house in the area and we’ve
woken up to barreling chest high sets with no one out. I
don’t know if it was just luck or good timing but I had some
amazing waves on these mornings and I as headed South on Old
Highway 101, the surf just seemed to get smaller and a
little more messy.
Because
the beaches at the harbor are surrounded by jetties and
river mouths, the sand underneath the waves has much more
movement then that of a regular beach break and can that in
conjunction with the direction of the beaches in the harbor
can lead to some fun surf with larger size then some
surrounding breaks.
There is
a large jetty to the North of the beach and during a strong
South swell, it can produce some amazing rights that peel
off into the beach. To the South of the beach there is
another jetty which is usually a tad more crowded but can
also produce some really fun waves with the right
conditions.
The North
jetty at the Oceanside Harbor beach
I will
set a bit o truth and let you know that the harbor isn’t
always pumping with good surf, in fact, most of the time,
it’s blown and small. While it may be a tad bigger then
surrounding areas, it can also be the much more messy then
the surrounding beaches. Take that into mind and remember
that to surf the perfect wave, you have to surf about 10,000
bad ones!
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