Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Right now, the outlook for Montanita is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, there’s a rough patch to get through before anything really shines. The overall pattern shows a lot of small, weak swell with persistent cross-onshore or onshore wind, which means a lot of the time the surf is either poor or just barely marginal. You’ve got a long wait ahead before we see any real quality.

The only spot in the picture is Montanita, a reef and point break that’s exposed to the SW. It’s a fairly consistent wave, but it takes an advanced crew to handle it. The water temperature is sitting at 79°—that’s a whopping 9° warmer than normal for this time of year, which is very unusual. You’ll be sweating in a spring suit at most.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 6th starts with a 4ft SW swell at 14 seconds, but it’s crossed up by a light SSW wind and the forecast is frankly poor. The combined energy is moderate (474). That theme continues through Monday and Tuesday the 7th and 8th—small SW swell, onshore wind, and zero quality. The water is warm but the waves are not.

It’s not until the back half of the first week that we see a slight pulse. Wednesday the 9th afternoon brings a 3ft WSW swell at 14 seconds and a clean sky with light onshore wind. The energy picks up to a moderate 716, but the score is still low. Thursday the 10th morning is a similar story: 4ft SW at 16 seconds, with light cross-on wind (652 energy). Still, it’s nothing to write home about—marginal at best.

The standout, if you can call it that, is Monday the 7th morning. The wind goes light and onshore from the west at 5 km/h, with a 3ft SW swell at 13 seconds. The energy is moderate (556), and while the score is still low, it’s the cleanest wind you’ll get all week. The swell is on the small side, but if you’re advanced and desperate, that might be your window. Even then, it’s not a day to get excited about.

After that, the second week is a long, drawn-out fizzle. From the 12th all the way through to the 21st, the swell drops to 1ft-3ft, mostly from the SW, with periods that range from 12 to 20 seconds. The energy dips into the 200s and 300s—weak stuff. The wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, and the surf is consistently poor. There’s a tiny blip on the 15th morning (3ft SW, 16 seconds, 347 energy) and again on the 16th morning (3ft SW, 14 seconds, 335 energy), but both are marginal and still crossed up.

The final few days from the 18th to the 21st are flat and lifeless. Swell drops to 1ft-2ft, periods are long (18-20 seconds) but the energy is barely scratching 200. It’s a real bum-out.

So, the honest truth? There’s no proper standout in this 16-day window. The best on offer is probably the early morning of Monday the 7th, where the light onshore wind and a small pulse of SW swell at least gives you a clean-ish surface. But it’s tiny, and the quality is marginal. If you’re a kite surfer, the consistent cross-onshore wind and small waves might be more interesting than paddle surfing. Otherwise, save your energy.

Rusty.

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