La Saladita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

The overall pattern is a slow, steady fade from a solid, powerful swell into much smaller, cleaner conditions. The first few days of the window are the real standout, with a big, long-period groundswell and glassy mornings. After that, it drops off and the afternoons get trashed by onshore wind, but the mornings stay clean.

La Saladita is the only game in town, and Tuesday morning, July 28th, is the highlight. The water is a touch warmer than average at 88°F, which is nice. We’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the SSW, with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and it’s carrying a huge amount of energy (2455). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the north at 3 mph, keeping the faces clean. This is big, powerful stuff – over 8ft, so this is experts-only territory. The waves are gonna be lined up and meaty, perfect for a long, fast ride on the point. The crowds are “often” here, so you’ll have company, but for a wave this good, it’s worth it.

Tuesday afternoon, July 28th, the wind swings onshore from the WSW at 6 mph, making it a messy cross-on. The swell drops a touch to 7ft but the energy is still strong (2212). Not worth paddling out in the afternoon. Stick to the mornings.

Wednesday morning, July 29th, is another beauty. The swell is still solid at 6ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period (1797 energy). The wind is absolutely glassy – 0 mph from the NE. It’s a sheet of glass out there. Again, this is big for most, so it’s for the experienced crew. The point will be drawing perfectly.

Wednesday afternoon, July 29th, the wind goes onshore again at 9 mph from the SSW. The swell drops to 6ft. The quality goes out the window. Skip it.

Thursday morning, July 30th, the swell settles to 5ft from the SSW, 14-second period (1027 energy). The wind is a light cross-off from the north at 3 mph. This is still a solid, clean wave for intermediates and up. The energy is moderate, but the shape should be good.

From Friday, July 31st, the swell fades fast. You’ll get clean, small waves in the mornings if you’re desperate, but the real juice is gone. Friday morning is 4ft, glassy, but the energy is down to 630. Saturday morning, August 1st, is 3ft and clean. Sunday morning, August 2nd, is flat and glassy at 2ft. There’s a blank stretch of small, weak surf through the middle of the week.

Then, around Thursday, August 7th, a new pulse of longer-period swell starts to show. Thursday afternoon, August 7th, has a 2ft swell but with an 18-second period (463 energy)– that’s the long period trying to push through, but the onshore wind ruins it. The real promise is on Saturday morning, August 8th, with 4ft from the SSW, 16-second period (850 energy) and a clean offshore wind from the SE. That’s a nice little runner. Sunday morning, August 9th, is also promising with 4ft from the SSW, 14-second period, and glassy conditions. These are moderate, clean waves for intermediates.

The last few days of the window, from Monday, August 10th, to Wednesday, August 12th, keep a similar pattern. Mornings are clean with 3ft to 4ft swell from the SSW or SW, with periods around 17 seconds. The energy is moderate (around 668 to 851). The afternoons are all onshore chop. The morning of Wednesday, August 12th, with 4ft from the SW at 17 seconds and a cross-offshore wind, is the best of that final stretch.

So, to sum it up: the standout is Tuesday morning, July 28th, for the big, powerful groundswell and clean conditions. Wednesday morning, July 29th, is a close second for the glassy perfection. After that, it’s a game of picking the clean morning windows on the smaller, weaker swells. The second week has some promising, cleaner mornings, but nothing with the size or energy of the opener.

Rusty.

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