Little Rincon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day outlook for Little Rincon is a tough one. The whole period is a real struggle for any kind of decent surf. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly small, weak, and onshore-affected waves. The best advice I can give right now is to wait for the next swell, because this window is a write-off.

We kick off Friday, September 4th, with a tiny swell of 2ft out of the SSW, but the wind is on it from the start, cross-onshore out of the SSW at 6 mph. The wave energy is weak (230), and the surf is just poor. That same sad story rolls through the weekend. Saturday the 5th is a repeat, with a 2ft SSW swell, and the wind is cross-onshore again. Sunday the 6th drops even further, down to 1ft, and while the wind is a little better as a cross-shore breeze, there’s simply no energy in the water (58). The waves are tiny and messy.

Monday the 7th is the worst of it – we’re down to 1.0ft and 1ft with a pathetic 5-second period. The wave energy is just 10, which is about as low as it gets. The wind is onshore all day. Tuesday the 8th brings a slight bump up to 4ft from the SSW with a 13-second period, and the energy climbs to 440 (moderate), but the wind is still onshore and the conditions are still listed as poor. It’s a tease, but not a surfable one.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is more of the same. Wednesday the 9th has 3ft SSW swell, but the wind is on it. Thursday the 10th offers a small glimmer – a 3ft SSW swell with a 10-second period, and the wind goes light cross-shore. The energy is 316 (moderate), and the chart even calls it “marginal.” That’s the closest we get to a recommendation, and it’s still a long shot. The following days fade back into tiny, weak, and onshore conditions.

The long-range part of the outlook, from about September 11th onward, doesn’t get any better. We see a couple of days with 1ft to 2ft SSW swells, but the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore, and the energy is consistently weak (between 67 and 154). By the 18th and 19th of September, we get a little more period (up to 20 seconds) and a slight bump in energy (214 and 188), but the swell is still tiny at 1ft to 2ft, and the wind is onshore. The swell direction is also from the W, which is not the optimum for this spot.

Honestly, there’s nothing here that a surfer would want to paddle out for. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, but that’s small comfort. If you’re desperate, the best bet is the morning of Thursday, September 10th, with the light cross-shore winds and that 3ft swell, but it’s a huge gamble. For the rest of it, honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the persistent onshore winds and the small, weak swell. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

Read more