Drakes Estero Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in on Drakes Estero. This is a beach and river mouth setup that’s fairly consistent and good for beginners. The water temp is about normal for this time of year.

The best action is right at the start. Sunday morning, August 2nd, has some clouds, a light 9 mph cross-offshore breeze from the northwest, and a solid 7 ft swell from the west-northwest. The swell period is 9 seconds and the combined energy is moderate (834). The wave comment says it’s very good surf conditions. That’s your standout session. The swell gets a touch bigger to 7 ft in the afternoon, but the wind picks up to 19 mph, so the morning is the call.

After that, it’s a long dry spell. From Sunday afternoon through the end of the first week, the swell drops fast. Monday has a 6 ft swell but the wind is onshore from the south. Tuesday through Thursday is flat to tiny, under 3 ft, with mostly onshore or light cross-shore wind. The energy drops into the weak range. There’s a big gap of poor or marginal surf through to August 8th.

There’s a small uptick on August 9th, Sunday morning, with a 6 ft west-northwest swell and clean cross-offshore wind, but it’s still marginal.

Then we hit another quiet patch from August 11th to the 15th. The swell is tiny, mostly 1 ft to 3 ft, with long-period energy from the southwest (16 to 19 seconds). The energy is moderate but the wave heights are just too small.

The end of the forecast looks better. On August 16th, Sunday afternoon, and into August 17th, Monday morning, we get a clean 3 ft southwest swell with a 15-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the west-northwest. The energy is moderate (around 460-470) and the wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s a clean, promising option for the second week.

For a beginner, the 7 ft swell on the 2nd is a bit much but doable in the morning. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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