Matanzas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, ol’ Rusty here, lookin’ at the charts for the next couple weeks, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We’ve got some windows of fun, but we’re gonna have to be patient and pick our moments. The start of the period is pretty shaky, but there is some promise further out.

First up, let's talk about the water. When we do get out there at Matanzas, the water temp is sittin’ around 56°F, which is about normal for this time of year. So grab the booties if you’re like me, but it ain’t anything crazy.

Now, the next few days... honestly, it's pretty grim. From Monday afternoon the 17th all the way through to the morning of Wednesday the 19th, there’s just nothing doing. The surf is small, around 3ft to 5ft, and that west-southwest swell has a bit of length to it, but the wind is all over the place, mostly cross or cross-on. It’s gonna be a mess. The energy’s weak to moderate at best, with readings around 519 and 975. You’re better off staying home and waxing your boards.

Now, here’s a flash of hope. Wednesday morning, the 19th of August, things start to wake up. That swell jumps to 7ft from the west-southwest, and the period stretches out to a nice 15 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. And we get a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-northeast. This is the first real standout of the period. The energy jumps up to 1937, which is strong. For an intermediate surfer, this is your window. It’s still a bit juicy, but for the experienced crew, this is gonna be firing. The afternoon trends more cross-shore and it gets a little trickier with the tide, but the morning is the call.

After that little pulse, we slide back into mediocrity. From Wednesday afternoon through to the 25th, it’s back to the grind. The swell backs off to around 3ft to 6ft, but the wind stays crappy from the south and southwest, keeping things lumpy and chopped. The energy drops off into the hundreds, and it’s just not worth the paddle out. There are a couple of glassy moments on the 24th and 25th, but the swell is tiny at 3ft to 2ft. You might get a fun little log wave, but it’s far from epic.

Then we get another little pulse. The morning of Wednesday the 26th looks alright. We get 5ft of west swell with a 12-second period and a glassy, clean surface. The energy is back up to a moderate 823. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and fun. A good day for a longboard if you ask me.

The end of the month and the start of September gets interesting, but it’s a long way off. On the 27th and 28th, we’ve got some solid swell showing in the charts. The 28th afternoon looks particularly interesting, with a 8ft west swell and a 15-second period, and the energy just explodes to 3218. That’s some serious power. But, the wind is cross, which will put some texture on it. And at 8ft, this is expert territory, not for the faint of heart.

And then, hold on to your hats. Around the 29th of August, we’ve got more strong swell. We’re looking at 8ft from the west-southwest, and while the period drops back a bit to 13 seconds, the energy is still very strong at 1893. The morning of the 29th shows a bit of offshore wind, which could make it clean, but it’s still a solid, powerful wave. This is a promising period, but it’s over a week out, so we’ve got to keep an eye on it. It could be a lot of fun, but forecasts that far out can change.

After the 30th, things start to get windier and messier, with the southwesterly winds really starting to howl, especially on the afternoon of the 30th with a 35 km/h blast. The swell stays around the 6ft to 7ft mark but the quality drops right off. This looks like it’s getting into kite-surfing territory, to be honest.

So, my honest take? The two real standouts are the morning of Wednesday the 19th and the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. The 19th is a more sure thing, with the clean offshore wind and solid 7ft groundswell. The 29th has bigger potential, but it’s a long range call. Everything else is just picking through the scraps. Stay patient, be ready to move when those windows open up.

Alright, I’m gonna go check my board. Catch you on the beach.

Rusty

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