Manglecito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m Rusty, and here’s the straight story for Manglecito in imperial.

Right now, we’ve got a flat spell stretching from Saturday the 29th of August all the way through to the second week of September. The first real chance of any rideable wave doesn’t show up until Friday the 11th of September, so we’re talking a solid two-week wait. That’s a long dry run.

The water here is running at 78°, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year – that’s a real anomaly, more than three degrees above what you’d expect.

For most of this period, the sea’s got nothing going on. The combined swell energy is zero, or just tiny little numbers (1 to 12) that won’t get you anywhere. It’s mostly cross-off or side-shore breezes, light to moderate, so the ocean’s clean, but there’s simply no push. The odd little 0.3ft to 1ft bump from the north or northwest shows up, but with periods around 8 to 9 seconds, it’s just not enough.

There’s only one moment that might get a surfer’s heart beating. On the morning of Friday the 11th of September, we see a slight uptick: a 1ft wave from the northwest, period stretching to 12 seconds, with combined energy hitting 22. That’s a longer-period groundswell, which can make for better-shaped waves, but at this size it’s barely a ripple. The wind holds cross-off from the southeast at 9 mph, so conditions are clean.

Now, for the break itself: Manglecito is a reef and point set-up, fairly exposed, and it loves swell from the north. The optimum direction is north, and this tiny pulse is coming from the northwest, so it’s not a perfect match, but it’s the closest thing we get. It’s a spot for advanced surfers only, and it’s fairly consistent when there’s swell, but crowds are a possibility here sometimes.

Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: this is a brutal outlook. There’s nothing worth paddling out for until that Friday the 11th, and even then it’s a micro-swell. For beginners, anything over 5ft is too much, but here we’re so far below that it’s barely surfable for anyone. If you’re a kite surfer, the cross-off winds and clean water might be more interesting than the waves.

So keep the board in the bag for now. Forecasts can change, but this stretch is looking real quiet.

Rusty.

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