Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's look at what we've got coming down the line for Montanita. It’s a bit of a quiet start, but there are a couple of moments that might get the heart pumping.

We're looking at a classic point and reef setup that needs a solid SW swell to work its magic. The water’s sitting at a balmy 79°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick wettie at home.

For the first week and a half, it’s a real struggle. We’ve got small, weak swell with poor, onshore wind messing up the surface. Sunday the 2nd through to around the 9th of August is pretty much a write-off – don't bother paddling out unless you just want to get wet. The energy is weak, mostly in the low to mid 100s (102 to 259), with onshore or cross-onshore winds and a lot of chop. Not worth the wax.

Things start to look a bit more promising towards the end of the second week. The best chance for a wave is going to be on the morning of Saturday, 15th of August. We’ve got the biggest swell of the forecast period rolling in at 4 ft from the SW, with a nice long period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, the kind that wraps around the point and lines up on the reef. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong at 541. It’s still not perfect, with a light cross-onshore wind, but the conditions are listed as "marginal" rather than "poor", which is the best we see.

The morning of Friday, 14th of August also shows a bit of life, with 3 ft SW swell at a very long 17 second period and energy of 443. That long period is a big deal – it means more push and better shape, but at a beach break it can get a little wonky. At Montanita’s point, though, it should handle it just fine. Still, the wind is cross-onshore, so don't expect perfection.

Honestly, for a spot that is "fairly consistent", this is a long dry spell. If you’re a true beginner, the swell never goes over 5 ft, so you're safe from anything too heavy, but the quality just isn't there for most of it. For the advanced crew, keep your eyes on that 15th of August morning – it’s the only real stand-out window in this entire 16-day stretch.

Rusty.

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