Castelejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks look pretty grim for most of us. The swell is on offer, but it’s almost always coming with onshore or cross-onshore winds that are just going to chop it up. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions, so don’t get your hopes up too early.

Let’s start with the only spot on the cards: Castelejo. The water is sitting at 67° which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t appear until Saturday the 15th of August. The swell picks up to 5ft coming from the NW with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate (306). But the wind is a cross-on moderate breeze, which will leave it choppy. Not great, but it’s something.

Sunday the 16th sees similar size (5ft NW) with a gentler cross-on breeze, but the energy is getting stronger (386). Still, it’s only going to be fairly choppy. The Monday morning of the 17th might be your best bet early on – the wind drops to a light breeze and goes straight offshore from the NW, with a 4ft NW swell (189 energy). That could actually be clean for a few hours. It’s not a standout, but it’s the closest we get to a decent paddle.

Then we fade out again until the 21st of August. That Friday morning shows a 7ft NW swell with a period of 9 seconds and a massive jump in energy (720). The wind is a light cross-on from the W, which is just about manageable. This is the biggest swell of the window, but it’s a bit of a beast – over 6ft, so it’s really only for the experienced crew. The conditions are described as “marginal,” so it’s a gamble. The afternoon of the 21st stays similar (770 energy) but with a gentle cross-on breeze, still marginal.

After that, the 22nd and 23rd see the wind pick up hard again, with strong breezes and messy conditions. The swell stays around 6ft to 7ft, but it’s all blown out.

The standout? Honestly, there’s no true gem here. If I had to pick one, it’s the Monday morning of the 17th of August. The offshore wind and clean lines from a NW swell at 4ft is the best compromise we get. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean. For the more experienced, keep an eye on the 21st of August. That big NW swell (7ft) has the energy, but it’s a long way out and the wind is a cross-on, so it’s a gamble.

For the rest of the time, the setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The beach-and-reef break is exposed to the NW swell, but the constant onshore winds just make it a mess for us.

Rusty.

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