La Preciosa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at our little slice of paradise for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta call it how I see it: it’s a tough stretch. The word "poor" keeps popping up, and for a spot as consistent as La Preciosa, that’s a real bummer. We’ve got a solid 16-day window, but the first ten days are a write-off for any kind of decent session. The wind is just relentless, and it’s blowing that cross-off all day, every day, which just wrecks any chance of a clean face. We see weak wave energy for most of that first week, barely cracking 100 in the combo energy readings.

La Preciosa is an advanced reef break that lives for a northerly swell, but we’re stuck with small, short-period easterly wind swell—all under 5 ft and with a period of 7 or 8 seconds. That’s basically chop. The water temp’s sitting at a warm 84°F which is about average for the time of year.

Things start to look a little more interesting around Thursday, the 27th of August. The swell bumps up to 5 ft, still from the east, but the energy jumps to a moderate 323, and by the 28th we’re seeing 5 ft with a 9-second period and solid energy of 338. The wind stays cross-off, which is the main problem. It’s still not *good*, but you might find a few workable runners if you’re really desperate. The morning of the 29th of August is the first time we get a "surfable" nod, with 3 ft waves and lighter 9 mph winds, but it’s ordinary at best.

The real standout, and it's a long-range gamble, is looking at the very end of the month. On Monday the 31st of August, a long-period easterly groundswell fills in. We’re talking 3 ft with a period of 13 seconds and a big jump in energy to 322. That’s a proper groundswell. Then on the 1st of September, we see 4 ft at 10 seconds with strong energy (313) and lighter morning winds. For La Preciosa, this is the best on offer. That long-period swell will wrap in nicely on this reef, giving us some real shape. The lighter morning breezes on those days are the golden window. Just remember, a swell from the east isn't the optimum north, but it’s what we’ve got. It’s promising, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep your fingers crossed the forecasts hold.

So, the bottom line: we’ve got a gap of nothing until the last few days of August. The only time worth paddling out is from the 31st of August through the 1st of September. Before that, set your expectations real low.

Rusty.

Read more