Manglecito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break it down for you in feet and miles per hour.

It’s a tough stretch ahead for Manglecito. The whole 16-day window is looking mostly flat with barely any swell to speak of. The first real sign of energy isn’t until the morning of Saturday 11 July, and even then it’s just a tiny ripple.

The pattern is dead quiet for long stretches. From Sunday 12 July all the way through Tuesday 14 July, there’s zero surf – just clean but empty water. Then from Wednesday 15 July up to Monday 20 July, we get a few little pulses, but we’re talking 0.3ft to 1ft at best. The combined swell energy is in the weak range, with numbers like 13, 5, 4, 3, 12 – nothing to write home about.

The most interesting bit rolls in around Tuesday 21 July through Thursday 23 July. A very long-period groundswell from the west-northwest shows up with periods of 18 to 19 seconds and combined energy finally cracking the 40s and 50s (moderate energy). But the wave height? Still only about 0.7ft. All that period with no height; at a reef and point break like Manglecito, it might offer a clean little ride, but it’s going to be tiny. The optimum swell direction for the break is north, and this is coming from the west-northwest – not perfect. On Wednesday 22 July morning, there’s a light cross-shore wind that’ll leave a little texture on the surface.

Beginners: no worries, the swell never hits even 2ft, so any clean day is safe for a paddle, but you’ll be floating more than surfing. Advanced crew? There’s just nothing to work with.

Manglecito is a reef and point that is fairly consistent, and the south winds keep the surface clean for most of the run – but you can’t surf air. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so when we do get a little bump, there might be a few others out. Honestly, the only setup that looks interesting here is for kitesurfers. With those clean, steady cross-off breezes and no surf to speak of, a kite would have the place to itself.

The best offer in the whole 16 days? The morning of Tuesday 21 July: 0.7ft from the WNW, 19-second period, combined energy 51, and a light SSE breeze keeping it clean. That’s it. One small window for a longboard or a foil. Everything else is a flat spell. Stay patient – forecasts can change, but for now, this is about as quiet as it gets.

- Rusty

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