Los Locos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Los Locos is a tough one. Most of the time, the waves are just too small or the wind is messy. We’re looking at over a week of barely surfable conditions before things start to get interesting. The first real chance of a decent wave doesn’t show up until the afternoon of Monday the 27th of July, so don’t get your hopes up too early.

The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you might not need the thickest wetsuit.

The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 17th has tiny 1 ft swell from the NNW with a short 4-second period and weak energy (8). The wind is cross, making it a messy, poor surf day. Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th drop even smaller, with glassy conditions on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, but the swell is 0.3 ft to 1.0 ft – you’d be bobbing, not surfing. Sunday afternoon shows a slight bump to 2 ft from the N (6 seconds, energy 48), but it’s still ordinary.

Monday the 20th sees a jump in size to 4 ft to 5 ft from the N, with a 7-second period and moderate energy (181 to 209). The morning is cross-onshore and poor, but Monday afternoon gets a clean, moderate offshore wind from the NE at 20 km/h. It’s the first decent window, but it’s not a standout. Tuesday the 21st has similar size but the wind gets a bit strong in the afternoon, making it messy again.

From Wednesday the 22nd until the 26th, it’s mostly poor surf with small, weak swell and cross or cross-onshore winds. The energy is low, never breaking 100 most days. The 26th has 4 ft swell from the NNW (8 seconds, moderate energy of 280 to 334) but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy – that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddler’s dream.

Now, the standout. The afternoon of Monday the 27th of July is where it’s at. Swell bumps to 4 ft from the NNW, with a solid 9-second period and strong energy (397). The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the N at 10 km/h. This is the best quality surf on offer – clean, punchy, and a decent size. It’s consistent here, so expect a few other surfers around, as crowds are often at Los Locos.

Tuesday the 28th is still surfable but drops off to 3 ft from the NNW, with a clean offshore wind in the afternoon. The 29th and 30th get messy again with cross-onshore wind and choppy conditions, despite the swell holding around 4 ft to 4 ft.

The real promising run, though, is the end of the window. Thursday the 30th afternoon, Friday the 31st, and Saturday the 1st of August all have 4 ft to 4 ft of NW swell with a long 10 to 11-second period (groundswell!) and strong energy (245 to 413). The wind is clean offshore or cross-offshore. This is a long-range call, so it’s less certain, but if it lines up, the 31st of July afternoon looks the pick of the bunch – 4 ft from the NW, 11-second period, strong energy (413), and a gentle offshore breeze. That’s proper, clean, long-period groundswell. Remember, that long period can make beach breaks a bit straight, but at a consistent spot like Los Locos, it should still offer some decent lines.

So, bottom line: the first week is a dud. The best window is the afternoon of the 27th, and if you can wait, the very end of the month into the 1st of August looks promising. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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