Pampilla Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Look, I’ll level with you: the next couple of weeks at Pampilla are a slow grind for paddle surfing. There’s nothing that jumps out as a true standout, and for the next week or so it’s mostly small, choppy and cross-on. The water temp is sitting at 68°F, which is about 6°F warmer than normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year, so you’ll be in boardies if you’re keen.

From Tuesday the 15th right through to Friday the 25th, it’s a long stretch of weak, messy surf. The swell hangs around 1ft to 3ft, mostly from the SW, with periods hovering between 11 and 15 seconds – that’s long period groundswell, which usually means better shaped waves, but the winds are almost always cross-on from the south, making it choppy and uninviting. The combined wave energy is mostly in the low hundreds (e.g. 629 on Tuesday morning, dropping to 119 by the 24th), so there’s just not much grunt. A few mornings on the 19th and 20th have offshore wind from the WSW and SSW, but the swell is tiny – 2ft – and the scores are marginal at best. Not worth paddling out for.

Come Saturday the 26th, we finally see a little pulse: 4ft from the SW with a 14-second period, and the combined energy climbs to 750. The wind is light cross-on, but it’s still not clean. Sunday the 27th and Monday the 28th look slightly better with 3ft to 4ft SSW swell, again with long periods up to 15 seconds. The wind swings offshore (SW and SSW) at 6 mph, which is a major positive – that’ll clean things up nicely. These are the best windows in the whole outlook, but it’s still marginal and tide-dependent. Tuesday the 29th falls back into chop, then Wednesday the 30th shows 6ft from the SSW, but the period drops to 9 seconds – that’s short period windswell, and with cross-on winds it’ll be a mess. At that size, over 5ft, it’s too big for beginners, but the quality won’t be there for experts either.

So, if I had to pick the best of a quiet run, aim for the mornings of Sunday the 27th and Monday the 28th. You’ll get 3ft to 4ft SSW groundswell with offshore or light winds – clean faces, long period, and the crowd factor at this consistent reef break can be “often” busy, so don’t expect to have it to yourself. It’s not a cracker, but it’s the closest thing to a session in this 16-day window. The rest? Honestly, it’s more of a kitesurfing setup with the cross-onshore winds and ankle-to-knee-high slop.

Rusty.

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