La Preciosa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s happening at La Preciosa.

Right off the bat, I gotta say it: this is a tough stretch. We’ve got a solid 16-day window, but almost every single session is flagged as poor surf conditions. The wind is a constant cross-off from the east or east-southeast, which is not the clean offshore we’d want for this reef. It’s a moderate to fresh breeze, and it’s just messing with the surface shape. The swell is coming from the east-northeast to east, short-period stuff mostly between 6 and 8 seconds, which means weak, choppy energy. The combined energy is mostly low to moderate, with readings like 197 on Friday afternoon, July 31st, and 239 on Saturday morning, August 1st. But the scores are bottomed out at zero. The water temperature here is 84°, which is about normal for this time of year, with a slight positive anomaly of 1°.

The first real chance to paddle out is on Friday afternoon, July 31st. Swell is 4 ft from the ENE, but period is only 8 seconds and the cross-off wind is 16 mph. It’s clean in the sense of no rain, but the surf is poor. Not worth getting excited about.

Moving through the first week, it’s the same story. Saturday morning, August 1st, has a slightly bigger 5 ft swell from the east, but the score is still a 1, just marginal. The wind is still cross-off at 12 mph. The afternoon picks up to 5 ft and 19 mph winds – no good. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday… all the same pattern. The swell hangs around 3 ft to 5 ft, period drops to 6 or 7 seconds, and the combined energy goes from 83 down to 15 by Thursday afternoon, August 6th. That’s a weak day.

The second week doesn’t look much better. There’s a slight uptick in swell around the 9th to the 11th, with heights of 5 ft to 5 ft and periods of 7 seconds, but the wind is still relentless. The combined energy creeps up to 312 by Tuesday morning, August 11th, but the score is still zero. The only two sessions that get a 1 are on Wednesday, August 12th – morning and afternoon. The swell is 5 ft and 5 ft from the east, period 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps significantly to 623 and 581. That’s a lot of water moving around, but the wind is fresh from the east at 19 mph, and it’s still cross-off. The surf is marginal at best.

The last few days, from the 13th to the 15th of August, keep the swell around 4 ft to 5 ft, but the wind stays strong and the scores are all zeros. The combined energy drops back to 317 on the 14th and 346 on the 15th.

Honestly, for a spot that’s an advanced reef break and very consistent, this is a huge letdown. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the constant wind and chop. There are no standout days here. The best you can say is that Wednesday, August 12th has the most energy in the water, but with that wind, it’s not going to be the classic La Preciosa we know. The forecast is a blank run, and for this area, that’s a bit unusual, but it can happen. Keep an eye on it, because forecasts can change, but right now, I’d save the wax.

Rusty.

Read more