Pescaderos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to write, folks. To be straight with you, the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a paddle. We’ve got almost nothing to work with. I’m looking at Pescaderos as the only break on the card, and honestly, the surf is going to be more about sitting on your board and watching the horizon than actually catching anything worthwhile.

We’re starting off with a real flat spell. For the first week, from Saturday the 1st right through to Friday the 7th, we’ve got next to no energy. The swell is tiny—we’re talking 1.0 ft to 3 ft at best—and the period is mostly short, around 8 to 9 seconds, which means weak, gutless waves. The combined energy is struggling, sitting between 83 and 273 (weak to moderate energy). The winds are mostly light cross-shore breezes, not terrible for a clean surface, but without any real swell, it’s just a flat lake out there. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is a massive 7° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s very unusual—more like a warm bath than your typical winter water.

There is a tiny flicker of hope on Friday morning the 7th. We get a glassy morning with a very long-period groundswell (19 seconds) coming from the SSW. The swell height is only 1 ft, but that long period gives it some push, and the combined energy climbs to 154 (moderate). It’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d put that in the “beginners-only” category. For an experienced surfer, it’ll be an exercise in frustration. Pescaderos is a beginner-friendly spot, fairly consistent, and for that morning, you’d have it to yourself with that glass. But don’t get your hopes up.

After that, we slip back into the same pattern. From Saturday the 8th right through to Sunday the 16th, the swell stays pathetic—1 ft to 2 ft—with periods all over the place, from 14 seconds up to 20 seconds, but the height is just too small to do anything with. The combined energy does bump up to 335 on the 14th (moderate), but the surf is still rated as “poor.” The winds are cross to cross-on, nothing clean enough to make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear.

Honestly, in a 16-day window, this is a blank run. There’s just no meat on the bone. Pescaderos is fairly consistent as a spot, but when the ocean doesn’t cooperate, it doesn’t matter. All I can say is, don’t bother waxing up your board for a while. Keep an eye on the charts, because it tends not to stay this poor for long, but for now, maybe take up another hobby.

Rusty

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