La Salina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for La Salina over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water is sitting at 66°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 3° cooler than average, so you'll want a decent spring suit.

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off. We're looking at tiny, weak swell for days on end, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping things messy. From Thursday the 20th through to around Tuesday the 25th, the wave energy is weak to moderate (between 239 and 774), with wave heights barely scraping 3ft. It's poor surf, and the guidance doesn't rate it highly. There's a few days there where the morning wind is light and onshore, but the swell is just too small and short-period to make anything of it. You'd be better off waiting.

Things start to get interesting around Wednesday the 26th. The swell bumps up a notch – morning sees a 5ft SSW groundswell with a solid 16-second period, pushing the combined energy up to 1330 (strong wave energy). The wind is light and onshore from the west, so it's not going to be glassy, but it's clean enough. The afternoon drops to 4ft, still with decent energy. The guidance still calls it marginal, but it's the best we've seen so far. La Salina is a consistent, exposed beach setup, so this long-period swell could offer some decent lines, though it might break a bit straight at times.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th keep the momentum going. Thursday morning has a 4ft SSW swell with light cross-shore winds from the SSW – that's a nice combo. The swell energy is still strong (829). Friday is similar, 4ft and clean cross-shore breeze from the south. These are the standout days of the outlook. The swell is a good size for most surfers, not too big, and the wind is light. It's not the biggest, but the conditions are going to be the most user-friendly we've seen.

The following weekend, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, the swell holds around 4ft, but the wind turns more onshore and the energy drops. Still worth a look, but the earlier part of the week is better.

Then we hit a bit of a lull again from Monday the 31st of August through to the 2nd of September. The swell drops back to under 3ft, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. It's back to marginal surf.

The end of the forecast window, around Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September, sees a new pulse of WNW swell. It's 6ft to 6ft, but the period is short, only 8 seconds. That's a windswell, and it's going to be a bit of a wind-affected mess with onshore winds. The combined energy is moderate (around 753-812). This one's a pass for paddle surfing – looks more interesting for a kite session if you're into that. Friday the 4th brings a cleaner SSW groundswell of 3ft with a very long 18-second period, but it's small.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet is definitely Wednesday the 26th through Friday the 28th of August. The swell is a solid 4ft to 5ft from the SSW, and the wind is light. It's not a world-class session, but it's the cleanest, most consistent run we've got. The crowds at La Salina can be a problem sometimes, so expect a few people out.

Rusty.

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