La Preciosa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up in our little stretch of coast for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta tell ya, it’s a pretty bleak picture for us paddlers. The entire 16-day window is a bit of a write-off for quality waves. There’s a gap of good surf here that basically lasts the whole outlook. The only spot we’ve got to talk about is La Preciosa, a south-east facing reef that needs a northerly swell. What we’re getting is a short-period easterly windswell, and it’s just not right for the place.

For the first week, starting Saturday the 4th, the surf is tiny and weak – the combined wave energy is barely registering (87) on Saturday morning. The water’s warm at 84°F, which is pretty average for this time of year. But the wind is a problem. It’s blowing hard from the ESE, cross-off, making it messy. By Sunday morning the 5th, the swell picks up a touch to 4ft from the east, wind goes offshore, and the energy climbs to 144. The report calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” I’d call it a desperate mission. These short-period (7 seconds) east swells are not what this reef needs – it wants north.

The middle of the week, around the 8th and 9th, the swell gets a little bigger, hitting 6ft to 6ft, and the energy gets into the moderate range (around 358-384). But that ESE wind is relentless, gusting up to 19 mph, keeping the surface ragged. The Thursday morning the 9th is a cross-off, but it’s still a poor outlook. For an advanced break, the wave quality is just not there.

The second week, from the 11th of July onward, it’s more of the same. The swell drops back to between 4ft and 5ft, with short 7-second periods. The energy dips back below 200 most days. The wind stays an annoying cross-off from the east or ESE. There are no standout sessions. The best I can say is a few morning windows on the 10th and 11th have fresher offshore wind, but the swell direction is wrong and the period is too short. The surf is out of sync with the break.

So, the honest truth? There isn’t a single standout day here. It’s a total bust. The swell is there, but the wind is a killer, and the direction is all wrong for La Preciosa. If you’re desperate for a paddle, maybe a dawny on Sunday the 5th or Wednesday the 8th when the wind is offshore could give you a few grovelly ones, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. For kite surfing? With all that cross-off wind and a clean but gutless sea, this setup is way more interesting for a kite than a surfboard. Save your energy and wait for a proper northern swell.

Rusty.

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