Castelejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Castelejo, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a bit of a bleak picture for the next couple of weeks. This is a beach and reef setup that’s exposed to the northwest, and honestly, the forecast is a whole lot of “poor surf conditions” with a big fat zero next to it on the scoreboard. That’s not what any of us want to hear.

The water temp is sitting right around average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But the waves... man, they’re just not there for a while. We're looking at a solid run of small, onshore slop for the rest of the week. Friday and the weekend will see some weak, short-period stuff, maybe 2ft to 3ft, but the wind is cross-onshore and lumpy. It’s just not gonna be worth the paddle. The energy in the water is weak too, with combined swell energy values hanging around 58 to 161. There’s a bit of a pulse of energy on Saturday the 1st, but the wind will chop it to bits.

We’re looking at a real dry spell. From Friday the 31st all the way through to around Friday the 7th, there is nothing that I’d call a surf. It’s just small, wind-blown junk. A couple of mornings might have a light breeze, but the swell is tiny and weak. This is a stretch where you’re better off finding something else to do.

Now, hold on. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but you’re going to need to be patient. Around Sunday the 9th of August, things start to wake up. We’ve got a stronger pulse of swell coming in, with the summary swell height jumping up to 5ft – 6ft and the period stretching out to 10-11 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and you can feel the shift in the energy readings, which are pumping out 789 on Sunday morning. That’s strong energy, no doubt. The problem is, that morning the wind is still cross-onshore, which will mess with the surface. It’s bigger, but it’s not clean. This is the standout window, and the swell direction from the NW is right in the zone for this break, but the wind is the spoiler.

After that pulse, it settles back down. The following week sees the swell drop back to 4ft to 6ft, but the wind is still a problem. By Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th, it’s getting properly fresh, with 19-28 mph winds and a messy, lumpy ocean that’s going to be more fun for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers. It just doesn't look like it comes together. The energy is moderate at best in that second week, with readings hovering in the 200-400 range.

So, where does that leave us? The only real standout is that Sunday the 9th. It’s the biggest swell of the window, and the direction is good, but it’s not going to be clean. It’s a promising but uncertain call. If you’re desperate, that’s your window, but don't expect perfection. For the rest of the time, Castelejo is going to be a tough, frustrating watch. This looks like one of those blank runs that’s more normal for the area, but the good news is, this spot is very consistent, so it tends not to stay poor for long. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the board in the car and the expectations low.

Rusty.

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