Campeche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you—this forecast for Campeche is a real test of patience. We’re looking at a long, dry spell before anything worth paddling out for shows up. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off, with hardly any energy in the water and conditions that’ll have you questioning your life choices. But hang in there, because the second half of the outlook finally serves up a couple of windows that actually get the blood pumping.

Let’s start with the grim stuff. From today, Sunday 2nd August, right through to about Wednesday 12th August, the surf is flat to tiny. We’re talking swell heights barely scraping 0.3 feet to 2 feet, and the combined wave energy is weak—mostly in the single digits or low double digits, like 3-111 (weak energy). The wind is all over the place, mostly cross-on or onshore, and the periods are either short and weak or long and useless. The water temp is a pretty standard 66°F, which is about average for the time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re sitting there staring at a flat ocean.

There’s a flicker of hope on Tuesday 4th August morning with a small 2 feet swell from SSE at 12 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 111 (moderate), but the wind is cross-off and the conditions are only “surfable but very ordinary.” Not worth rushing for. Then it’s back to the doldrums until the weekend of 8th-9th August, when we see a bit of height—3 feet to 5 feet—but the wind is howling from the south and the period is a pathetic 5-6 seconds. That’s windswell junk, and with cross-onshore winds up to 22 mph, it’s going to be choppy, lumpy, and messy. The combined energy hits 834 (strong) on the 9th afternoon, but honestly, that’s more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing. Leave the board on the beach.

Now, the turnaround. The real standout is the morning of Friday 14th August. We’ve got a clean 5 feet swell from the south, period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 886 (strong). The kicker? Glassy conditions with a light offshore breeze from the southwest. That’s the recipe for the best surf of the whole run. The swell direction from the south works well for Campeche’s optimum direction, and the size is solid for intermediate surfers—big enough to be fun, but not too heavy. This is the morning to be in the water. The afternoon drops off a bit with onshore winds and smaller swell, so make it a dawn patrol.

Another good look is Saturday 15th August morning. The swell drops to 5 feet from the southeast, period 10 seconds, but the wind is cross-off from the north-northwest, keeping things clean. Combined energy is 384 (moderate), so it’s a solid session, just not as punchy as Friday. The rest of the run after that fades away again, with small waves and fresh winds.

So here’s the bottom line: if you’re patient, target Friday 14th August morning for the best waves. It’s a glassy, clean, south swell with enough energy to make it worthwhile. The Saturday morning is a decent backup. Everything else in the first two weeks is a waiting game. Don’t bother with the windy, choppy days in between—they’re better for the kite crew than us paddle folk.

Rusty, signing off.

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