Matanzas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Matanzas over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a solid pulse of south-west swell rolling in, but it’s not all clean and easy. The first real standout window is actually not for a few days, so you’ll want to be patient. The good news is there’s plenty of size on the way, but the wind is gonna be the main player here.

Wednesday the 5th sees a 8ft WSW swell with a 12-second period and a light west wind early, making it glassy. That’s a decent start, but the afternoon turns north and cross-shore, so the morning is your pick. The combined energy is moderate (1430). Thursday the 6th gets bigger, with a 8ft WSW swell, but the southerly wind is up to 12-15 mph and cross-shore, so it’ll be a messy, chop-filled affair. Not the day for a clean session.

Friday the 7th drops off fast – down to 3ft – and the wind is cross to cross-onshore, so it’s pretty ordinary. Then Saturday the 8th fires up again: a 10ft SW swell with a 14-second period, and a light south wind (9 mph) in the morning. That’s a big, powerful groundswell (combined energy 3003) – more than 8ft, so this is expert territory only. The afternoon wind picks up to 15 mph from the SSW, making it choppy, so the morning window is your best shot if you’ve got the skill.

Sunday the 9th is still large (8ft to 8ft) but the wind is cross-shore in the morning, then cross-onshore and choppy in the afternoon. Not great. Monday the 10th drops to 7ft with a very light south breeze in the morning – that’s almost glassy, and the swell is still a solid 13-second SW groundswell. That’s a strong candidate for the best of the first week: clean, moderate energy (1461), and manageable size for strong intermediates.

Now, the real standout pops up on Wednesday the 12th. It’s a smaller day, only 2ft, but the swell direction is WSW with a massive 19-second period – that’s a very long-period groundswell. The wind is a light north-northeast cross-offshore, and the conditions are clean. Combined energy is low (455), but the quality of the wave shape will be excellent for a reef break like Matanzas. This is a classic long-period, glassy morning – perfect for the experienced surfer who knows how to read a slow, lined-up set. The crowd is only “sometimes” an issue here, so you might get some waves to yourself.

The rest of the second week goes a bit quiet. Thursday the 13th has 4ft to 4ft WSW swell with a long period (16-15 seconds), but the wind is strong south at 12 mph, making it cross-shore and choppy. Not worth it. Friday the 14th is small and messy. Saturday the 15th has a fresh 22 mph north-northeast cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 3ft to 4ft – clean but tiny. Sunday the 16th is small and cross-shore.

Then there’s a late pulse: Tuesday the 18th afternoon sees a 7ft WSW swell with a 15-second period, light wind, and combined energy hitting 2094 – that’s moderate to strong. But the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s okay but not perfect. The real late gem is Wednesday the 19th afternoon: 7ft WSW swell, a 13-second period, and a light south-southeast cross-offshore wind. The conditions are clean, and the file says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” – that’s a big call. The combined energy is 1321. Given the size (7ft is still solid), this is another one for the experts only.

The overall best on offer? Wednesday the 12th morning for the clean, glassy long-period gem, and Wednesday the 19th afternoon for the bigger, clean, powerful swell. If you’re after size and don’t mind a bit of chop, Saturday the 8th morning is also a big one, but only for the brave.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year – no major anomaly to worry about.

Rusty.

Read more