Matanzas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me break down what Matanzas is serving up over the next couple weeks. It’s a mixed bag, no doubt, but there are a few clean windows of solid surf if you pick your spots.

Right off the bat, Sunday the 12th is a total dud. That’s a weak 3ft southwest swell at 13 seconds, but the cross-onshore wind chops it all to pieces. The water’s at 53°, which is about 3° colder than average for this time of year, so it’s a bit on the chilly side.

Monday the 13th shows some promise – a 7ft west swell in the morning with a long 18-second period, and the wave energy is pumping. The wind is light cross-shore, so the potential is there, but the call is marginal, likely due to tide. It jumps to 10ft in the afternoon from the west, but the wind goes cross-onshore and it gets choppy. Pass.

Tuesday the 14th holds that 10ft swell from the west-southwest. The morning has light cross-shore winds – still only marginal. The real standout here is Tuesday afternoon: same 10ft from the west-southwest, the wind turns cross-offshore and cleans right up. That’s a proper session for experienced surfers only – that size is no joke.

Wednesday the 15th drops hard to 5ft then 3ft, with messy cross-shore wind. Thursday and Friday are blown out with strong winds, lumpy conditions, and poor surf. A real low point.

Now here’s the good news. Saturday the 18th rolls in with a clean 5ft west-southwest swell at 12 seconds, solid wave energy, and light cross-offshore winds. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers – that’s the best quality window in the whole outlook. The morning is the pick, but the afternoon stays clean too.

Sunday the 19th keeps the stoke going: 5ft from the west-northwest, and the wind goes glassy in the afternoon with flat calm – 0 mph. That’s a magic window for Matanzas – clean, consistent, and a friendly size.

Then things get wild. Monday the 20th, the swell explodes to 15ft from the west-northwest, with massive wave energy. That’s big, burly, expert-only territory, and the wind is onshore and sloppy – more for tow-surfing than paddling.

The rest of the week sees the swell drop back to 5ft to 8ft, but wind is often cross-on or cross-shore with chop. Thursday the 23rd morning is a second standout: 10ft from the west-southwest, light cross-offshore wind, and excellent conditions for experienced surfers again.

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th both offer clean, manageable 7ft and 6ft swells from the southwest, with light cross-offshore winds – good for a fun, uncrowded session.

The very end, Monday the 27th, has a sneaky 3ft long-period groundswell from the west-southwest at 18 seconds. The energy’s low, but it’s clean with offshore wind. Could be fun for a log or a fish.

Bottom line: hit Matanzas on Tuesday afternoon the 14th for the big clean swell, and then the whole Saturday 18th through Sunday 19th window for the best all-around quality. Thursday the 23rd morning is also a gem for the experienced crew. The rest is either too small, too big, or too messy.

This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more