Farol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

To be straight with you, this stretch of coastline is going through a quiet patch. The setup is a beach break, fully exposed to the swell, but none of the swell that’s coming in is doing us any favours. The wave energy is weak to moderate at best, and the wind is a persistent problem. The water is sitting at 83°F and that’s about 2°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so it’s a notably warm ocean out there, but the surf quality is not matching the temperature.

The first real chance for a paddle isn’t until Friday, July 17th, and even then, it’s a tough sell. We’ve got a small 2ft swell coming from the NE, with a period of just 7 seconds. That’s a short-period, wind-driven lump, and with a cross-on breeze from the ESE at 9 mph, the surface is going to be choppy and messy. The wave energy is weak (48). It’s poor surf, honestly. The afternoon only gets worse with a stronger onshore wind. This pattern pretty much holds through the weekend and into the following week. The swell does bump up a little, hitting 4ft on Monday the 20th, but the wind remains cross-on or onshore, and the period stays short, between 5 and 6 seconds. The energy climbs into the moderate range (111 to 116), but with constant moderate cross-onshore winds, it’s just going to be a lumpy, crumbly mess.

We’re looking at a solid 10-day stretch here with no good surf on offer. The wind just won’t swing offshore, and the swell direction is from the ENE or NE, which is not the optimum for this spot. For a beginner-plus spot like Farol, waves over 5ft start to get a bit much, but we don’t even get that consistently until the end of the month.

Towards the end of July, into the start of August, the swell picks up a bit. On Thursday the 23rd, we see a 5ft swell from the NE with a 6-second period, and the wave energy jumps to 159. That’s moderate energy, but the wind is still cross-on from the E. The same goes for the afternoon of the 31st of July, with a 5ft NE swell, 5-second period, and a fresh onshore breeze from the NE at 19 mph. The waves are there, but the quality is gone. It’s a messy, onshore situation.

The best of a bad bunch might be the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. The swell is 4ft from the ENE, period is a tiny bit longer at 7 seconds, and the wave energy is at 174 (moderate). But that cross-on wind from the E at 16 mph is still going to put a chop on it. It’s a long way out, but it’s one of the few days where the energy is a bit higher and the period isn’t as short. Still, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

The honest truth is there’s no standout day in this 16-day window. It’s a long, flat-ish, windy spell. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you might find something small and crumbly on the 26th of July, but it’s a long shot. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a poor run. Fortunately, it never stays flat forever around here; the forecasts can turn around. But for now, I’d store the board and wait for a better wind day.

Rusty.

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