La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for our local stretch.

The next 16 days are a real mixed bag, and I’ll be honest with you – we’ve got a long, dry spell to get through first. There’s nothing worth paddling out for from today until about the 21st of July. That’s over a week of small, messy, onshore slop. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, and the swell is tiny – we’re looking at ankle-to-knee high dribble with weak wave energy. Hang tight, because it’s a patience game.

Finally, around Tuesday morning the 21st of July, things start to look interesting. The wind is expected to be glassy, which is a huge positive. The wave energy is still weak, at just 50 (combined energy), and the swell is a mere 2ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. It’s not going to be big, but with that glassy surface, the weak little waves will be clean. This is the first real chance you’ll get to get wet – it’s surfable, but very ordinary.

The real standout, and the one you want to circle on the calendar, is Thursday the 23rd of July. We get a big bump in energy. The morning sees a 3ft west-northwest swell with a moderate 227 (combined energy). But the afternoon is the kicker – a solid 10ft swell from the west-northwest, with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy rockets up to 1635. That’s serious energy. But here’s the catch: the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 22 mph, so it’s going to be lumpy and choppy. The wave comment says “poor surf conditions,” so this one is strictly for the experts. At 10ft, it’s too big for beginners, and the wind will make it a battle. Given the size and the onshore wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that, things settle down but stay messy. The rest of the week and into the next has some size – like 5ft to 6ft on the 26th – but the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore, keeping it rough.

So, to sum it up: the best bet in the whole stretch is that glassy Tuesday morning on the 21st of July for some clean, small waves. The 23rd of July afternoon has the power, but it’s a wind-affected, expert-only affair. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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