Pescaderos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next 16 days at Pescaderos are a real mixed bag of small, pretty ordinary conditions. We’ve got a lot of tiny swell and tricky winds, so you’ll have to pick your windows carefully. The water is sitting at 69°F, which is a solid 6°F warmer than usual – that’s very unusual, like swimming in a bath for this time of year. The combined swell energy is mostly weak to moderate, ranging from 140 to 353 (that’s the number in brackets).

Let’s start with Friday morning, 7 August. Glassy conditions with a 3 mph southerly wind, but the swell is only 1 ft from the SW with a very long 19-second period – that’s groundswell, but tiny. Combined energy is just 151 – weak. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Not worth getting excited about. Friday afternoon turns cross with a 6 mph WSW wind, and it’s poor.

Saturday 8 August and Sunday 9 August are all poor – cross-on and cross winds, small 1 ft to 2 ft swell, periods dropping from 18 to 15 seconds. No go.

Monday 10 August morning is glassy again with a 3 mph SW wind, 2 ft swell from the S at 14 seconds, and energy at 206 – still weak. Surfable but ordinary. Afternoon gets some clouds and a light cross-shore, but it’s poor.

Tuesday 11 August through Thursday 14 August – more of the same: tiny 1 ft to 2 ft swell, periods from 13 to 18 seconds, mostly cross or cross-on winds, all poor with scores of 0. The combined energy bounces between 125 and 257. Not worth paddling out.

Now, things start to look a little more interesting around Friday 14 August afternoon – the swell picks up to 2 ft, but the energy jumps to 300 (moderate), and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the WSW at 9 mph. It’s still marginal, but there’s a tiny bit more push. Saturday 15 August is the standout period – morning has 3 ft swell from the SSW at 16 seconds, energy at 353 (moderate), with a light cross-shore from the WSW at 6 mph. Then Saturday afternoon gets a clean cross-off wind from the W at 12 mph, same 3 ft swell, energy 346 – that’s the best we’ll see. Clean conditions, small but rideable for a longboard or a funboard. Sunday 16 August afternoon is also clean with a 9 mph W cross-off, 2 ft swell, energy 209 – still marginal but surfable.

From Monday 17 August onward, it drops back to 1 ft to 2 ft, mostly poor with cross or cross-on winds, though Tuesday 18 August afternoon and Wednesday 19 August have some clean moments but tiny swell. The energy stays weak, between 144 and 282. The last few days from 20 to 22 August are all poor – small, cross-shore winds, and nothing to write home about.

So, the pick of the bunch is definitely Saturday 15 August – both morning and afternoon. The 3 ft SSW swell with clean winds (morning light cross, afternoon clean cross-off) gives you the best chance for a few fun waves. It’s still small, so grab a longboard. The very long period (16 seconds) means it’s groundswell, better for the point or reef setups, but at Pescaderos it’s a beach break, so expect longer lulls between sets. The water is warm, the crowds are sometimes an issue, so you might have some company. It’s a beginner spot, so this size is perfect.

No other days really stand out. The rest is a long stretch of poor or marginal conditions. Don’t hold your breath for the second week – it’s all small and ordinary.

Rusty.

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