Drakes Estero Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Drakes Estero over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the first few days are looking pretty average. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th have some small, short-period swell around 4 ft to 4 ft from the WNW, period of 8 seconds. The wind is a cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but the energy is just moderate (343 to 374). It’s surfable for beginners, but nothing to write home about. Things actually get a bit messy from Tuesday afternoon through the end of the first week. The swell bumps up a touch, but the wind cranks up to 19 to 28 mph from the NW, creating cross-off conditions that are just too blown out. The combined energy climbs (429 to 1009), but the poor conditions mean it’s more of a kite session than a paddle session.

The real standout for the whole outlook hits on Saturday morning, July 18th. We get a really nice relief. A clean 2 ft swell from the W with a very long period of 16 seconds—pure groundswell. The wind is a light 6 mph cross-off from the WNW. The combined energy is a solid 575, and the wave comment calls for very good surf conditions. This is the best on offer. It’s small, but that long-period energy will wrap nicely into the river mouth. Keep your eyes peeled as it could be a bit straight for a beach break, but at Drakes Estero, that long period will push in nicely.

The following Sunday the 19th holds another good window. Sunday afternoon sees a very clean 2 ft swell from the SW with a whopping 17-second period. Combined energy of 641 and light cross-off winds. Another excellent call for the experienced surfer who knows how to read a long-period swell.

Looking into the third week, there’s a bit of a gap with some marginal, smaller stuff until Thursday the 23rd. That day brings a bit more size, but it’s onshore. The real highlight of the second week is Friday, July 24th. The afternoon session is calling for 4 ft of SSW swell with a 14-second period, clean glassy conditions with a light WNW cross-off breeze. The combined energy is strong at 1168, and the comment says excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers. That’s the big one to circle on the calendar.

After that, we get a few more days of mixed signals. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th have some very long-period energy (20 to 21 seconds) but the swell is tiny, 2 ft to 3 ft. The energy readings are still up there (956 to 1053), but the size is tough. Monday the 27th brings a bigger, more powerful 6 ft to 7 ft WNW swell with moderate energy (1083 to 1222), but the period drops to 9 seconds and the winds are moderate onshore. Then Tuesday the 28th falls apart with onshore wind.

So to sum it up: the best wave this whole period is hands-down Friday, July 24th afternoon. Small but perfectly clean, with enough period to make it count. Saturday morning July 18th is also a real gem for the early birds after that long gap. The rest of the time, you’re fighting wind or lack of size.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty.

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