Castelejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, it's a tough stretch. The Castelejo (beach and reef) is exposed to the NW, and we've got a constant stream of onshore and cross-onshore winds from the north and northwest that are just going to chop things up. The water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 68°, which is a bit of a bummer, but we'll take what we can get.

The first week is a write-off. From Tuesday, the 21st of July right through to the end of the month, we're looking at tiny swell, mostly around 2 ft to 5 ft, but with a short, weak period of 6 to 8 seconds. The combined energy is low to moderate (50 to 227), and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. The forecast is calling it "poor surf conditions" every single session. There's no point even looking at it for a paddle.

That stretch of poor surf runs for a solid nine days, all the way through to the end of July. Things start to look a little more interesting as we move into the first week of August. Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of August see the swell bump up a bit, but the wind is still a problem, so it's still not worth a trip.

The only real standout in this whole period, and I mean the only one, is the morning of Tuesday, the 28th of July. The swell is a modest 4 ft from the NNW, but the period stretches to 9 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The combined energy is a solid 218, showing there's some real power in the water. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the north at only 6 mph, which is the best wind we see in the entire forecast. That light breeze will keep the surface pretty clean, with just a few small wind ripples. The forecast even calls it "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions" rather than outright "poor," which is a huge win. This is the one session where you might get a few decent, clean lines. It's a long period swell, so it should wrap in nicely at a spot like this, with better shape and more energy between sets. The crowds are marked as "sometimes," so it could get a little busy if word gets out, but with the conditions we've seen, it might not be too bad.

After that, we're back into the grind. The wind picks up again, and the swell remains inconsistent and onshore. The whole second week doesn't offer anything that stands out.

So, to sum it up: if you're desperate, get in the water on the morning of Tuesday the 28th. Otherwise, it's a long wait for something that might not even show up. It's a tough run for the area.

- Rusty

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