Pescaderos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Well, I’ll be honest with you – this outlook is a bit of a slow burn. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy surf that’s just not worth paddling out for. The first recommendation doesn’t even pop up until Sunday the 16th of August, so we’ve got a solid two-week gap of flat to poor conditions before anything remotely rideable shows up.

For the first week and a half, from Sunday the 2nd through to Saturday the 15th, it’s a write-off. Swell is tiny, mostly under 2 ft, with periods all over the place but nothing that’s going to produce any real push. The wind is a constant cross-shore or cross-onshore, killing any chance of a clean face. The combined wave energy is weak, staying well under 300 for most of that time. It’s just not happening.

The first flicker of life arrives on Sunday, August 16th. Pescaderos finally gets a look in. The afternoon session is the standout. We’ve got a clean 2 ft swell from the WNW with a nice long period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind shifts to a cross-offshore, which is a game-changer for quality. The water is running at 70°, which is a wild 7° warmer than normal for this time of year – genuinely unusual warm water for this spot. The combined energy is moderate at 307, so there’s some life in the water. Keep in mind, Pescaderos is a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot, though crowds are possible. That long period swell will wrap in nicely here, making for some clean, lined-up waves. It’s not big, but it’s the only real option on the table.

Monday the 17th gets a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is still marginal, but the afternoon sees a jump in size. The swell hits 7 ft, but here’s the catch – the period drops to a short, weak 6 seconds. That’s a lot of water moving around with no real shape or power behind it. The combined energy jumps to 445, but with that short period and a cross-shore wind, it’s going to be a bumpy, close-out mess. The wave comment calls it “marginal.” For a break like this, anything over 8 ft is expert-only territory, and this one with the short period is just not going to be fun. It’s a pass for me.

So, the only real window is Sunday afternoon the 16th. That’s the one to pencil in. It’s a long way out, so treat it as promising but not locked in. After that, the forecast gets a bit shaky again.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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