Castelejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a full 16-day window for Castelejo, but honest to god, it’s a slow burn with a chilly shock to the system. The water’s at 67°, which is a whopping 4° colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a serious anomaly—gonna feel like winter’s still got a grip when you’re paddling out. A thick wetsuit is non-negotiable.

First real chance to get wet won’t come until Thursday morning the 3rd. We’re looking at a modest 3ft NW swell with a short period of 7 seconds and a gentle east-northeast breeze blowing cross-offshore, keeping things clean. The combined energy is weak though, just 110 (moderate energy), so don’t expect much push. The afternoon glass-off with southwesterly light airs and 2ft NW swell at 7 seconds is even smaller—67 combined energy (weak). This is for the patient surfer who just needs a glide.

Friday the 4th stays tiny and clean: 2ft WNW swell, 8-second period, glassy conditions in the morning with east-northeast 31 mph, and clean in the afternoon with a light southwesterly. Energy is a whisper at 62 and 55 (weak). You’ll be on a foamie or a longboard, scratching for ankle-snappers.

Saturday the 5th morning actually picks up a bit—3ft NW swell, 9 seconds, with a light offshore from the southeast, clean conditions, and combined energy jumping to 121 (moderate). That’s the first *okay* window. But the afternoon swings to a light cross-onshore from the west and gets chopped.

Then things go ugly. From Sunday the 6th all the way through to early on Saturday the 12th, it’s a long stretch—over 5 days—of poor surf. The swell swings up to 3-6ft NW with periods from 8 to 13 seconds, but strong north to north-northwest winds howling at 31-56 mph (fresh breeze) rip it to shreds. Cross-onshore, lumpy, choppy—total mess. Combined energy hits 409-812 (moderate to strong), but it’s unsurfable for a paddle board. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional paddle-out.

The turnaround comes on Saturday the 12th morning. A clean 4ft NNW swell, 8-second period, with a gentle east-southeast cross-offshore breeze and combined energy at 253 (moderate). It’s rideable and clean—this is where things start to look up.

But the standout—the one worth marking on your calendar—is Sunday the 13th. We’ve got a glassy morning with 5ft NW swell, a very long period of 13 seconds, and combined energy surging to 842 (strong). The wind is a dead calm from the southeast, just a slight air. Groundswell that size on a beach and reef break? The long period will make it a bit roly-poly at the beach, but Castelejo’s reef sections should hold it beautifully—clean, powerful lines. Afternoon gets a bit onshore with west-northwest 6 mph, so get your session in early.

Monday the 14th offers clean cross-offshore winds again: 4ft NW swell, 11 seconds, with east winds at 16 mph in the morning and light southerlies in the afternoon. Combined energy at 368-379 (moderate). Solid and clean.

Tuesday the 15th stays clean with a south-southeast cross-offshore breeze and 3ft NW swell, 10 seconds, but that afternoon swell spins to a very long 14 seconds from NW with only 3ft and combined energy 495 (moderate). Long period on a small wave—you’ll get deeper sets, but it might feel a bit fat on the beach. The reef will handle it better.

From Wednesday the 16th onward, it gets messy again: 6ft NW swell at 13 seconds on Wednesday morning but with a northwest cross-shore and combined energy hitting 1006 (strong). That’s a lot of water moving, but the northerly wind ramps to 56 mph in the afternoon, trashing the surface. Thursday the 17th is back to cross-onshore junk.

Best bet is Sunday the 13th morning. Head out early for glassy, long-period groundswell, chest to head-high sets, and reef-led perfection. Bring a thick suit—the water’s bloody cold for September.

Rusty.

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