Las Piscinas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – if you’re looking at Las Piscinas for the next couple of weeks, you’re mostly going to be staring at a lot of onshore junk. The whole 16-day window is a mixed bag, with the first week looking pretty average to downright messy, and only a few moments later on that might clean up enough for a session.

Things kick off on Monday the 24th of August. It’s a clear morning, but wind is blowing from the NNE at 12 mph, cross-on, so it’s already choppy. Swell is 5.9 ft from the NNW with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a solid groundswell pulse, and the combined energy is moderate (887). But honestly, with that cross-onshore breeze, poor surf conditions is all you’re getting. Same story Monday afternoon: 5.6 ft from the NE, still cross-on, still choppy. Not worth paddling out.

Tuesday the 25th brings onshore wind from the NNE, morning and afternoon. Swell drops a bit – 4.9 ft then 4.3 ft from the north, period around 10 seconds. Still, onshore wind means poor surf. Wednesday the 26th sees the swell fade to 3.3 ft and then 2.6 ft, with onshore and cross-on winds respectively. Energy drops right off (168 then 104). This is small, weak, and messy. Thursday the 27th, the swell gets even smaller in the morning – 2.0 ft from the N with a period of 8 seconds – combined energy is a weak 65. Still cross-on breeze. Thursday afternoon picks up a bit to 3.9 ft but with a shocking 5-second period and cross-on wind, that’s just windswell junk.

Friday the 28th sees the swell jump back to 5.6 ft from the NNE, but the period is 6-7 seconds and the wind is cross-on, creating moderate chop. Energy climbs (239 then 305), but it’s still poor surf. Then comes Saturday the 29th. The morning shows 7.5 ft from the N, period 12 seconds, with combined energy jumping to a strong 1463. That’s the biggest pulse of the whole outlook, and it’s a proper groundswell. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is cross-on from the NNE at 16 mph. So you’ve got solid, powerful swell but it’s going to be blown out and choppy. Too big for beginners, and even for intermediates that cross-on chop will make it a battle. The afternoon settles to 5.2 ft, still cross-on.

Sunday the 30th through to Monday the 31st continues the pattern: onshore or cross-on winds, swell between 4.3 ft and 5.6 ft, poor surf conditions. Nothing to write home about.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting for the more experienced crew. Tuesday the 1st of September and Wednesday the 2nd of September see a real surge in size. Tuesday hits 6.9 ft rising to 7.9 ft in the afternoon, then Wednesday morning and afternoon both push 9.8 ft from the NNE. Combined energy is strong (763, 1225, 1258). The period is short though – 8 to 9 seconds – so it’s windswell dominant, not the clean lines of a groundswell. Plus the wind is onshore, fresh breeze at 16-19 mph. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Unless you are an absolute expert and don’t mind blown-out, chunky conditions, skip it. It’s also too big for beginners and intermediate surfers.

Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September hold at 8.2 ft from the NNE, period 9 seconds, energy still strong (over 1000). But again, onshore and cross-on winds. Still poor surf for paddling. By Saturday the 5th, the swell stays around 7.9-8.2 ft, but it’s the same story: cross-on breeze.

Finally, on Sunday the 6th of September, there’s a slight shift. The morning still shows 8.2 ft from the NNE, period 10 seconds, energy 1264, but the wind turns onshore from the N at only 9 mph. The wave comment upgrades to “marginal” rather than “poor”. That’s the best you’re going to see in this entire outlook. It’s still a big, powerful swell (too big for beginners), but with cleaner conditions, a capable intermediate could find a wave or two at a reef like this, if you can handle the size. The optimum swell direction according to the guidance is from the N, and this is from the NNE, so close but not perfect. The afternoon drops to 7.5 ft, still onshore, but

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