Playa Motones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what’s coming up for Playa Motones over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this stretch is looking pretty grim for paddle surfing. The forecast is packed with poor surf conditions and there’s a real long gap where there’s just nothing worth chasing. We’ve got a solid 16 days of forecast, but the first real hint of something decent doesn’t pop up until early August.

The water temp at Playa Motones is sitting at 84°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year – no anomaly to speak of, so it’s just your usual warm tropical bath.

The overall pattern is dominated by a consistent ENE wind that just won’t let up, mostly cross or cross-onshore, creating a lumpy, choppy mess. The swell is coming from the same direction, which is fine for the reef here, but the wind is the killer. Combined wave energy values are mostly in the moderate range (between 100 and 358), meaning there’s some push, but it’s wasted with the wind.

We’ve got a real blank run from now, starting July 27th, all the way through to the afternoon of August 6th. That’s over a week of just poor to marginal conditions. The only slight glimmer in that stretch is the afternoon of August 5th, where the wind drops to glassy from the SW, but the swell is a weak 4 ft from the ENE with a short period of 6 seconds and combined energy of only 94 – it’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary.

The one standout, and I mean the *only* one that gets my blood moving, is the afternoon of Thursday, August 6th. The finder shows a “good surf conditions” call for the first time. The wind goes glassy, the swell is a solid 5 ft from the ENE, with a 7-second period and combined energy of 220. That’s moderate energy, but clean. The reef at Playa Motones is exposed to the north swell, and ENE is a good direction for it. If you can get out that afternoon, with the wind flat and a bit of push, that’s the one to circle on the calendar. Look for smaller, cleaner sets.

After that, it’s back into the wind and chop for the rest of the forecast. The swell picks up into the 6 ft to 6 ft range with short periods, but the wind is howling again, and the combined energy jumps into the 275-336 range, which is moderate to strong. But with the wind on it, it’s a mess. Honestly, for the vast majority of this window, the setup at Playa Motones is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the consistent cross-shore winds and lumpy sea state.

Keep your eyes peeled for that August 6th window. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Rusty.

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