Montanita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for our little slice of Ecuador, and I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a solid pulse of swell coming in on Tuesday morning, but it’s a classic case of "looks good on paper, feels awful in the water." The water is absolutely roasting, coming in at 80°, which is a massive 9° warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be swimming in bathwater.

The real action, if you can call it that, is Montanita (reef and point). Tuesday morning, the 28th of July, sees a 5ft SW groundswell rolling in with a long 16-second period. That’s proper energy, with a combined swell energy of 1277 (moderate to strong). But here’s the kicker – the wind is blowing from the SW at 6 mph, putting it cross-onshore. That’s going to chop it up and make it bumpy, and the reports say it’s marginal at best. For advanced crew only, this is a frustrating tease. The swell direction is from the SW, which is the optimum direction for this spot, so the bones are there, but the wind is killing it. The crowd factor is often a problem here, so you’ll have company in the frustration.

By Tuesday afternoon, the swell drops to 4ft, still from the WSW, but the wind goes onshore, making it even worse. Wednesday morning (29th of July) is a similar story – 4ft SW swell with a 14-second period, but a cross-shore wind from the S at 6 mph. It’s still marginal. The rest of the week and into the first week of August is a slow bleed of smaller, weaker swells. From Thursday the 30th through to the 10th of August, we’re looking at waves from 1ft to 4ft, with the combined energy dropping from 415 down to a weak 98. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the reports are all "poor surf conditions" or "marginal." It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

There is a flicker of life on the 7th of August (Friday morning), with a 3ft SW swell and a 16-second period, giving us a combined energy of 580 (moderate). But the wind is cross-onshore from the SSW at 6 mph, and it’s still rated marginal. The 11th and 12th of August see some very long-period swells (20 and 18 seconds) but tiny heights of 2ft to 2ft. The energy is low (340 and 294), and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. These long-period groundswells will be super straight and gutless at a beach break, so unless you’re on a longboard and desperate for a glide, it’s not worth the paddle.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The best bet is that Tuesday morning (28th of July) if you’re an advanced surfer who doesn’t mind messy, choppy conditions and a bit of a crowd. It’s the biggest swell of the period, but it’s not clean. For everyone else, save your energy. The lack of consistent, quality surf is pretty normal for this area at this time of year, so it’s not a shock. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a flat, windy mess.

Rusty.

Read more