Las Piscinas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, but this time in feet and miles per hour.

Well, I’ve gotta be straight with you – looking at the next 16 days from the 4th of September, it’s a pretty bleak picture. The onshore winds are just relentless, pretty much blowing straight in from the north or north-northeast the whole time. We’re talking constant, poor surf conditions for the vast majority of the window. Don’t get your hopes up for a quick fix, because the only real flicker of life doesn’t show up until the very end.

The main break in the crosshairs is Las Piscinas. Usually, it’s a consistent reef set-up, but for the first two weeks of the forecast, the wind is just killing it. We start on the 4th with tiny 3ft to 3ft NNE windswell with a short, weak 7-second period and combined energy levels struggling under 100 (93-101). That’s just not worth paddling out for. The wind stays on it all day, every day, through the 5th, 6th, and 7th. The swell does pick up a bit, hitting 5ft by the 6th and 7th, and the combined energy climbs into the mid-to-high 200s (227-383), but it’s all short-period, wind-affected slop. The water temp is sitting at 76°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, but that’s the only nice thing I can say.

This grim pattern just locks in. We get a bit of a breather with lighter wind on the 12th and 13th, with swell dropping back down to 2ft to 4ft, but it’s still onshore, and there’s just no power or shape. The energy dips back to triple digits (140-213). Even the longer 11-second period swell that pops up on the 12th is only 2ft, so it’s not doing us any favours. Honestly, if you’re looking to do anything on the water through this stretch, with the constant cross-onshore wind and messy conditions, this set-up looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The only session that even sniffs potential is the very end of the run. On the 18th of September, we finally see a bump in swell size and quality. The morning shows 6ft NNE swell with an 8-second period, but the combined energy jumps into the strong 500s (528). That’s the kind of juice that gets your attention. It’s still a cross-onshore wind, but a lighter breeze from the east-northeast at only 6 mph. The forecast calls it “marginal” due to tide, but 6ft of energetic groundswell is the best thing we’ve seen. The 17th of September also has a 6ft pulse, but with a shorter period and a score that is slightly less promising. For my money, the 18th of September morning is the one true standout – it’s a promise, not a guarantee, this far out, but it’s the only real highlight in a long, flat, windy slog.

Stay patient, keep your wax dry until that swell shows up.

Rusty.

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