Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what’s cooking for Montanita over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: it’s a pretty average run, nothing to get too fired up about. The first few days are real slow, with tiny, weak swells and a persistent cross-onshore breeze that's just gonna mess with the surface. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are flat and sloppy, not worth paddling out for. The combined wave energy stays moderate (around 269-810) but the wind is just not playing ball. You're looking at small 1ft to 4ft swells from the SW and WSW, but the texture is choppy or bumpy, especially on the mornings.

Saturday the 29th has the swell nudging up to 5ft from the WSW, and the afternoon clears up with a direct onshore wind, which is a slight improvement. Still, it's marginal at best.

Now, here's where it gets a bit more interesting. By Thursday the 3rd of September, we start seeing a proper groundswell. The period jumps to 18 seconds and the energy builds to a moderate 633. That's a long-period swell, and Montanita is a reef and point break, which means it’ll handle that long-period energy a lot better than a beach break would. The waves will have shape and push, with longer lulls between sets. The wind is forecast light and onshore that afternoon, but if you get a window with lighter conditions, it could be a decent session. The swell is around 3ft, so not big, but clean enough if the wind lays off.

The real standout of this whole outlook is Friday the 4th of September. The morning has a 4ft swell from the WSW with a period of 16 seconds, and the combined energy is strong (861). The wind is light and cross-onshore, which isn’t ideal but still manageable. By the afternoon, we get a 5ft SW swell with the same 16-second period, and the energy jumps up to 948. More importantly, the wind goes offshore from the WSW. That means clean, lined-up sets rolling into that point. This is your best bet. The water temp is around 79°, which is over 9° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s going to feel like a warm bath out there.

After that, the swell backs off. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are smaller and messier. There’s a little pulse again around Tuesday the 8th of September – a 4ft SW swell with a 17-second period and moderate energy (693). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’s not clean but it’s worth a look. The Wednesday the 9th is similar, with 4-4ft from the SW and a 16-second period, but again the wind stays cross-onshore. Those days are your next best options after the 4th.

The last couple of days, the 10th and 11th, are back to smaller, weaker surf with poor conditions. The wind stays cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy drops off.

Overall, if you can get out on Friday the 4th of September, that’s your call. It’s not a massive swell, but the long period and offshore wind are a solid combo for Montanita’s reef and point setup. The rest of the window is either too small or too choppy to get excited about.

Stay tuned, Rusty.

Read more