Castelejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming down the line for our little corner of the coast.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half looks pretty grim. We’ve got a solid northwest swell rolling in, but the wind is just murdering it. For the first several days, starting Monday August 31, that northwest wind is howling at 22 mph, putting a nasty cross-onshore chop on everything. The water is sitting at 68°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 3°F off, feels like winter is hanging on. The combined energy of all swells directed here is around 470 (moderate) but with that wind, it’s just a lumpy mess. Poor surf conditions all the way through.

Tuesday September 1 and Wednesday September 2 are more of the same story. The swell drops a little, but the wind stays onshore and fresh. The energy drops into the 200 range, still moderate, but it’s not doing us any favours. Thursday September 3 finally sees the wind ease back to a light breeze, but the swell is down to 3ft and the energy is weak (83). Still, by Thursday afternoon it goes onshore and we get a tiny, weak wave. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday September 4 and Saturday September 5 are where things get a tiny bit interesting. The wind swings around to light cross-off and offshore directions. The swell is still small – around 3ft to 3ft from the NW, with a 9-second period, so it’s got a little bit of body. The combined energy is weak (85 to 125), but the water will be clean. You could get a few knee-to-waist high runners at Castelejo, but it’s surfable waves in very ordinary conditions. Don’t expect much.

Then we hit a dead zone. From Sunday September 6 right through to Tuesday September 15, the wind picks back up again – cross-onshore or onshore, fresh breezes, with the swell bouncing between 2ft and 5ft. The setup here is a beach and reef, and with that constant cross-onshore wind and lumpy conditions, this honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The energy stays moderate for some of it (up to 292) but the quality is just poor.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the afternoon of Saturday September 5. The swell is 3ft from the northwest, period 9 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW. The combined energy is 125 (weak), but it’s clean. The break is very consistent at Castelejo, and with weak energy and light wind, it’ll be a mellow, uncrowded session for beginners and longboarders. Just don’t expect any power.

There is a long gap of poor conditions from September 6 all the way to September 15, so don’t get your hopes up. The second week is slim pickings – small swell, windy, and lumpy. Not much to get excited about.

Keep your eyes on the forecast, because it tends not to stay this poor for long. But for now, this is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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