Los Locos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us.

The long-range picture shows a slow start with a few tiny, messy days before things start to wake up. The real promise is tucked away at the end of the period, over a week out, but we gotta be patient to get there.

The Early Grind (August 12th – 19th)

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a struggle. We’ve got small, weak swell mixing with a lot of cross and onshore breezes. Wednesday the 12th is surfable but super ordinary, with ankle-to-knee high waves from the NW around 2ft and a period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak (42), even if the morning is clean. It’s more of a log day than anything else.

We then hit a flat, poor stretch from Thursday the 13th through the 19th. Winds are cross or cross-on, the swell stays under 3ft, and periods are all over the place. There's a brief pulse on Saturday the 15th with a bit more energy (66-120) and clean conditions, but the swell is short-period windswell, not good for much. This whole run is a blank, so don't bother checking the cam. It’s a real lull.

A Glimmer of Hope (August 20th – 26th)

The week of the 20th sees a definite increase in size, but the quality is still suspect. The swell from the NW builds, with combined energy jumping significantly—we see readings of 390, 407, and then a big 822 by Friday the 21st. The surf gets to 5ft, even 6ft, but the winds are mostly cross-shore and onshore, making it a choppy, bumpy mess. It’s not really a surfer’s window, more of a blown-out, high-tide kind of session. The waves are just too messy to get excited about. Honestly, with that much wind and swell on an exposed setup, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

We get a couple of cleaner windows later in this stretch. The 24th and 25th see the size drop back to 3-4ft, but crucially, we get some glassy mornings and offshore NE winds to keep things clean. The energy is moderate (127-165), but it’s not a big, powerful swell. It’s just clean, fun-sized waves to get some turns in.

The Standout Window (August 27th onwards)

Okay, here’s the one we wait for. Thursday the 27th is the standout in this whole outlook, but it's over a week away, so we'll call it promising rather than locked in. The swell jumps to a solid 7ft from the NW in the morning, with the energy climbing to a strong 545. The wind is forecast to be glassy with a slight air, which is what dreams are made of.

Conditions look very good, clean, and with real power. By the afternoon, it’s pushing 7ft, but a cross-off NW wind at 25 km/h kicks in. This is still clean, but the size is getting up there.

For a beginner, at 7ft plus, this is paddling into the deep end. For the experts out there, this is the window that has our names written all over it. This is a swell that could really light up Los Locos (beginners beware).

This break has a NW exposure, and with the swell coming from the NW, it should be hitting right. The water temp is 71°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year—nothing crazy, just a normal summer day. The break itself is consistent but be aware that the crowd factor is listed as 'often', so you might have company. This is the one you want to keep an eye on as we get closer.

Keep the faith, and I’ll see you in the water when it turns on.

- Rusty

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