Pescaderos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Not gonna lie, this is a tough one. We’ve got one spot, Pescaderos, on the table, and it’s serving up tiny, marginal waves for over a week before things go totally flat. The water is sitting at a balmy 70°F which is way warmer than normal for this time of year – like paddling in a bath.

Alright, first up we’ve got Friday the 24th of July into the following week. The swell is barely a ripple, only 1ft from the SW. Light cross-shore wind is about the only positive here. The wave energy is low at 320, and the forecaster is telling us the tide might be an issue. It’s a beginner wave, so if you’ve just got a foamie and zero expectations, you could have a splash, but it’s not really surf.

Things stay exactly like this – tiny 2ft to 3ft SW/SSW groundswell – right through until Tuesday the 28th. The period is deliciously long, 17 to 21 seconds, which suggests proper ocean energy, but the height is just too small to make anything of it at a fairly exposed beach. The wind is consistently light cross-shore, but with wave energy sitting between 320 and 698, it’s still just weak stuff. The water temp anomaly of 7°F is very unusual, so at least you won’t need a steamer.

Then we hit a little sweet spot on Sunday the 26th of July afternoon. The wind gets a tiny bit cross-offshore, cleaning up the 2ft SW swell. The forecaster actually said “expect good surf conditions” for that one session. For a beach break, with a period still around 18 seconds and wave energy at 458, it’s the most rideable the week gets. Not a standout by any stretch, but the cleanest option.

The morning of Wednesday the 29th sees a slight onshore breeze from the S with 3 mph, which kills the vibe. The swell stays tiny through the end of July, though by Friday the 31st, we finally see it push up to 4ft from the S with 675 energy. The period drops to 14 seconds, but the wind is still light cross-shore. It’s still flagged as marginal, so don’t drive for it.

Into the first week of August, Saturday the 1st has the biggest number – 4ft from the S with 612 energy and a 13-second period. But again, it’s still only a 1 out of 10 rating. By Sunday the 2nd, the swell drops to 2ft, and while the afternoon gets a clean cross-offshore breeze from the W, it’s basically over.

From Monday the 3rd of August onward, it’s all “poor surf conditions.” The wave energy crashes down to between 59 and 162. The swell direction goes west, the period drops to 6 to 9 seconds, and the wind becomes cross-onshore or onshore. This is a full-blown flat spell that lasts until the end of the forecast on Saturday the 8th of August. That’s almost six days of absolute nothing.

So, the honest truth: there is no standout in this 16-day window. The only time the wind favours us is Sunday afternoon the 26th of July. But even then, the waves are too small to call it proper surf. This is one of those “check the forecast again next week” kind of outlooks. For better or worse, it’s all we’ve got.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

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