Playa Motones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, let’s see what we’re working with. Honestly, for the next two weeks, it’s a bit of a slog. The wind’s not doing us any favors for most of it, so things are going to stay messy. The first real shot at something decent doesn’t show up until Thursday, August 27th, so that’s a solid week of waiting. Most of the time the wind is cross-on or cross, and the swell’s coming from the east-northeast, which isn’t the best angle for this reef setup at Playa Motones.

Right now, through the whole first week, you’re looking at small, wind-churned waves. Tuesday the 18th kicks off with a weak 3ft swell from the ENE, period around 8 seconds, but that cross-on wind from the northeast at 12 mph just chops it all up. Energy’s low. Not worth paddling out. The next few days are the same story – Wednesday and Thursday, the swell bumps up a tiny bit, but the wind’s still cross-on, and the wave quality is just poor. By Thursday afternoon the 20th, the swell jumps to 7ft from the ENE, but the wind’s howling at 18 mph, making it lumpy and ugly. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

The weekend of the 23rd and 24th is more of the same – lumpy cross-onshore wind, swells in the 5ft to 7ft range, but the wind’s just ruining any chance of a good face. The period’s short, around 5 to 7 seconds, so the waves are weak and won’t hold shape. You’re better off doing something else.

Now, Tuesday the 25th brings a bigger pulse – 8ft from the ENE, and by the afternoon the period stretches out to 12 seconds, with energy going through the roof. That’s a serious amount of water moving. But here’s the kicker: the wind’s still cross-on at 15-18 mph. At that size, with that wind, it’s going to be a beastly, messy closeout. Only for the experts, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty.

The one bright spot, and I mean the *only* bright spot, comes on Thursday morning, August 27th. The wind finally drops. It goes glassy. Absolutely dead calm. The swell is a clean 4ft from the east, with an 8-second period, and the energy is moderate. That’s the window. For a few hours in the morning, Playa Motones will be smooth, clean, and rideable. The reef will be working. It’s a small window, but if you can get out there, that’s the best wave of the entire forecast. It’s an intermediate-level wave at that size.

After that, the wind comes back. Friday the 28th through to the end of the first week of September, it’s back to cross-on and cross-shore winds, with swell hanging around 3ft to 5ft. The period on September 1st stretches to 11 seconds, but the swell is tiny, only 2ft, so there’s no power behind it. Not worth the paddle.

So, bottom line: wait for that glassy Thursday morning, the 27th. That’s your one real chance at something fun. The rest of the time, the wind has the upper hand.

Rusty.

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