Los Locos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

We start this Thursday morning with a little light rain but the surf is already looking decent. A nice 4ft swell from the northwest, with a period of 11 seconds giving it some real groundswell push. The wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the NNW at 19 mph, keeping things clean. The water is sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, about 73°F. Combined energy is moderate at 409. This is the first good window, but it’s not the standout.

Thursday afternoon gets a bit dicey as the wind swings cross-on and the period drops a touch, so it’s more marginal.

Friday sees the swell bump up to 6ft but the wind gets messy with cross-onshore chops, making for poor conditions. Nothing to plan a session around there.

Saturday morning brings a 4ft swell from the NW with a cross-off breeze from the east at 12 mph. Clean enough, but the energy is low at 212. Saturday afternoon the wind goes fully offshore from the ENE at a fresh 19 mph, but the swell drops to 3ft with a short 8-second period. Clean, but weak.

Sunday and Monday are slim pickings—tiny swell, short periods, and average winds. There’s a real lull here for a few days.

Now, hold onto your board. The standout window begins on Thursday, August 27th, and it’s a beauty. Thursday morning we’ve got a 5ft northwest swell with glassy conditions, zero wind. That alone is nice, but Thursday afternoon is the one to circle on the calendar. We see 8ft of northwest swell, period at 10 seconds, and it’s glassy. That’s swell above 8ft, so this is strictly for experienced surfers—big, powerful waves. The combined energy surges to a very strong 1199. This is the best on offer, and it’s coming right at the end of August.

Friday, August 28th morning keeps the quality high with a 6ft NW swell and glassy conditions. Energy is still strong at 552. Good for the experienced crew, but the afternoon turns choppy.

We get another solid window on Sunday, August 30th, with a 4ft NW swell, glassy conditions in the morning, and then offshore winds in the afternoon. Clean, clean, clean. Energy is moderate at 274 and 254 respectively. A very good, consistent day for all skill levels.

Moving into September, Tuesday, September 1st morning delivers again: 6ft of northwest swell, glassy, with a nice 11-second period. The energy is strong at 647. Another excellent session for experienced surfers.

Later on Monday, August 31st afternoon, we see a big 7ft northwest swell with a very long 13-second period. That’s groundswell with serious energy (1332), but the wind is cross-shore, making it more tricky. At that size and period, this setup could be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing here at Los Locos, as the long-period groundswell tends to break straight at beach breaks. Still, for the experts who know the bank, it could offer some memorable bombs.

After that, the last few days of the forecast trail off into small, short-period, weak energy. Nothing to get excited about.

So, the big takeaway: The absolute standout is Thursday afternoon, August 27th—big, glassy, powerful northwest swell for experts only. Sunday, August 30th and Tuesday, September 1st morning are the best all-rounder windows for clean, solid waves. Get out there, but be smart about the size.

Rusty.

Read more