Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let's have a look at what's on the table for Montanita. It's a bit of a mixed bag, honestly. Most of the time the conditions are just a bit off, with that cross-onshore wind messing up the face. The water is running at 79°, and that's a full 9° warmer than usual for this time of year – that's a lot of extra warmth, you'll feel it.

The first real chance to get wet is Saturday morning, the 25th of July. We've got a 3ft swell rolling in from the SW, with a long 19-second period. That gives it a solid moderate energy reading (702). The wind is a light cross-onshore from the SSW at 6 mph, so it's not perfect, but it's small wind ripples, not a washing machine. The tide might be a factor, but it's worth a look.

Saturday afternoon stays the same size, but the wind turns straight onshore from the SW. That's going to make it a bit bumpy and less appealing. The wave energy is still decent (605), but the quality drops.

Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th show a similar story. The swell ticks up a touch to 3ft and 4ft, with periods around 17-18 seconds, keeping the energy moderate (632 to 884). But that cross-onshore wind sticks around, making it choppy and robbing the waves of their shape. It's frustrating because the swell has some push, but the wind is just ruining it.

Tuesday the 28th is probably the most interesting of the bunch. The swell holds at 4ft from the WSW, with a period of 16 seconds. The energy is solid at 876 (moderate). The morning is cross-onshore, but the afternoon actually turns to a clean onshore wind from the SW at just 6 mph. That's your best window for a decent session – it's not glassy, but it's the best wind we'll see. The water is still that warm 79°.

After that, from the 30th of July right through to the 5th of August, it's a dry spell. The swell drops away, the periods shorten, and the wave energy just fades out. We're looking at poor conditions day after day. The morning of the 6th of August shows a flicker of life with a 4ft, 13-second SW swell and 430 energy, but it's still marginal and the wind is onshore.

The 7th to the 9th of August is a repeat of the same old story: small swell, onshore or cross-onshore wind, and poor quality. Nothing really stands out to get excited about.

So, the standout is Tuesday the 28th of July. That's the day with the most size (4ft) and the best chance of cleaner lines in the afternoon. It's for advanced surfers only – that reef and point setup at Montanita can be a handful, and the long period (16s) will make for some powerful, lined-up waves. It's exposed to the SW, and the swell is coming right from that direction, so it should wrap in nicely. It's fairly consistent, but expect crowds as it's often busy.

For the rest of the window, it's a grind. The swell is just too weak and the wind is just too messy to make it worth paddling out. You might get a few small ones, but don't expect much. It's a bit of a dry run for the area.

Rusty.

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