Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for Montanita over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, mate, I gotta be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. The whole 16-day stretch is looking pretty flat and average. We’ve got a few days with some waist-high swell, but the winds are almost always cross-onshore, keeping things a bit bumpy. The water is absolutely roasting though, sitting at 79°, which is a massive 9° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s wild.

The first half of the period is the best we’ve got. On Friday the 4th, we see a bit of a pulse. The swell is coming from the WSW at 5 ft to 5 ft, with a period of 16 seconds. That’s some decent groundswell energy, with the combined energy hitting 1026 on Friday morning and 1222 on Friday afternoon. That’s moderate to strong energy, but the wind is a problem. It’s a gentle breeze from the WSW at 9 mph, which is onshore, so the waves will be a bit messy. It’s not a total washout, but it’s not the clean, peeling lines we dream of. This is the only real stand-out, and even then, it’s a bit of a compromise.

The rest of the first week, from Saturday the 5th through to the 10th, the swell drops back to the 4 ft to 4 ft range with periods of 14 to 16 seconds. The wind is mostly light, but still cross-onshore or onshore, so the surface is never truly glassy. The energy is moderate, with values between 421 and 765. It’s surfable for advanced surfers who know the break, but it’s nothing to get excited about.

After the 10th, things really drop off. From the 12th of September onwards, the swell size barely reaches 3 ft, and often it’s down around 1 ft to 2 ft. The periods can be long – up to 21 seconds – but with such small waves, it’s just not going to break properly. The energy reading drops below 300, which is weak. The wind stays light, but it’s still cross-onshore or onshore, so it’s just a poor outlook. There’s a long gap of basically no surf from the 12th all the way through the 18th.

So, to sum it up: your best chance is Friday the 4th of September. It’s the biggest swell we’ll see, with some moderate energy, but be prepared for bumpy, onshore conditions. The rest of the window is a write-off for good waves. The water is unnaturally warm, so you can ditch the wetsuit, but you’ll be paddling around on a lot of small, weak lumps.

Rusty.

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