La Salina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy waves ahead. I’ve scanned the charts, and honestly, there’s not a single day that gets me truly fired up. The swell energy is just too low and the wind’s mostly working against us.

For the first week, from the 19th through the 26th, it’s all about knee-high dribble. Swell heights are hovering around 2ft to 3ft, with periods mostly in that 13 to 16 second range. The combined swell energy is generally weak to moderate, sitting between 193 and 535. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, which is just going to chop up any little bump that tries to form. The water temp at La Salina is 66°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year—about 2°F off, so you’ll want a slightly thicker suit.

Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are about as good as it gets for that first stretch, which isn’t saying much. On Thursday morning, we’ve got a tiny 3ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and light cross-on wind. It’s marginal at best. Then Friday morning drops to 2ft with lighter wind, but it’s still small and a bit crumbly. Don’t get your hopes up.

We hit a real dead zone from the 22nd through the 28th. Swell drops to 2ft to 2ft, and the wind is just consistently bad – onshore or cross-onshore, making everything a bumpy mess. The energy is mostly in the low to mid-400s, which is just not enough to push any real shape through. This stretch is a write-off.

Now, things start to change at the very end of the month. On Saturday the 29th of August, we see the first pulse of something a bit more meaningful. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the SSW with a 17-second period in the morning. The combined energy jumps to 981, which is a solid moderate energy. But the wind is still a cross-onshore 12 mph, so it’s going to be a bit ragged and lumpy. It’s bigger, but not necessarily clean.

That swell continues into Sunday the 30th, with similar 4ft SSW swell and energy around 737-869. The wind does ease off a little, and by Sunday afternoon it's lighter and more onshore. It’s still not perfect, but this is the closest we get to anything with a bit of push. Even Monday the 31st holds some of that energy with 3ft SSW swell, but again, the wind is not your friend.

Looking further out into the second week, the first of September and beyond, we lose most of that energy again. The swell drops back down to 2ft-3ft and the energy weakens. It’s more of the same – small, and mostly poor.

But hold on. There’s one little glimmer at the very end of the forecast window. On the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September, things finally line up for a moment. The wind drops to zero, leaving the ocean glassy. We’ve got a 2ft SW swell rolling in with a 15-second period. The energy is modest at 358, but with that glassy surface, those little waves are going to be clean and might just offer a fun, playful wave on a longboard. It’s the only time in the whole run where the surf and conditions team up to give us a chance. That’s the one morning I’d be checking out La Salina. It’s not a standout by size, but by quality, it’s a diamond in the rough.

So, there you have it. A lot of close-outs and mush to wade through. If you’re desperate, the 3rd of September looks like the pick of the litter. Otherwise, it might be a good week to tune up the kite gear.

Stay salty.

Rusty

Read more