Escollera Sur (Mar del Plata) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a grind for Escollera Sur (Mar del Plata). We’ve got a long gap of poor to marginal conditions before a real standout shows up. The water’s sitting at 50°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least the chill won’t be as biting.

The first real chance to get wet doesn’t come until Friday, July 24th. The morning’s a write-off – light rain and a fresh 19 mph cross-off north-northeasterly wind messing up a tiny 2 ft south swell. The combined energy is weak (118). By the afternoon, the wind swings to a moderate offshore from the northwest at 12 mph, cleaning up the lines. The swell is still only 2 ft from the south, but with a long 14-second period, it’s got some push. The waves will be small and clean, but nothing to write home about.

Saturday and Sunday, July 25th and 26th, are a dead loss. Tiny swells, cross-off or cross-onshore winds, and poor conditions across the board. We’re looking at several days of nearly nothing.

Monday, July 27th, the afternoon shows a little flicker. A 3 ft south swell with a 10-second period (combined energy 220) and a clean cross-off breeze from the north-northeast. It’s marginal, but you might find a couple of fun ones if you’re desperate.

The next few days, from July 28th through to August 2nd, are a frustrating mix of small, weak swells and poor to marginal conditions. The wind is often cross-shore or cross-onshore, and the energy is generally low, with most values under 400. The morning of August 3rd (Monday) offers a bit more hope – a 5 ft swell from the east with a 9-second period and a moderate cross-off breeze from the north-northeast, giving a combined energy of 633. Still only marginal, but it’s the best thing in a while.

Now, the standout. The real gold is on Thursday, August 6th. The morning brings a solid 10 ft swell from the southeast, with a 10-second period and a clean offshore from the north-northwest at 12 mph. The combined energy is a massive 2613. That’s a lot of power. However, this swell is too big for Escollera Sur – it’ll be a washing machine. Only for the experts, and even then, it’s a dicey prospect. The afternoon is better suited: the swell drops to 8 ft from the same direction, with a gentle offshore from the northwest at 9 mph. The energy is still very strong (1603). This is the best on offer. Clean, powerful, and for experienced surfers only. The period is 10 seconds, so it’s a well-formed groundswell.

The week after that, the forecast gets a bit messy again. Friday, August 7th, has a 5 ft south-southwest swell with a long 11-second period and a light cross-shore breeze, but it’s marginal. Then the wind turns onshore and lumpy, and the weekend of August 8th and 9th is back to poor, onshore junk.

So, to sum it up – the first week and a half is a slog. The one true standout is the afternoon of Thursday, August 6th, at Escollera Sur. It’s a clean, powerful, expert-only session. Don’t get too excited about anything else.

Rusty.

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