Playa Motones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Playa Motones. Gotta be straight with you from the start: the next week and a half is a bit of a write-off. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with the wind messing things up something chronic. The good news is there’s a real standout window later on that’ll make it worth hanging in there.

The first session with *any* kind of nod is Monday morning, the 24th of August. But honestly, mate, it’s a no-go. We’ve got a weak 3ft swell from the ENE, with a short period of 5 seconds, and the combined energy is a measly (45). The wind is cross-shore, and the water is a warm 85°, which is about average for the time of year. The report calls it poor surf conditions, and I’m not touching it.

Monday afternoon through to Saturday the 29th of August is a real grind. The swell tries to pick up a little, but the wind is either cross or cross-onshore from the ENE, and it’s mostly choppy. The energy stays moderate, with values between 118 and 295. The biggest wave in that stretch is Saturday afternoon with a 6ft swell, but with that onshore wind, it’s a choppy mess. Not worth paddling out.

We get a slight break on Sunday the 30th of August. The morning sees a 4ft swell from the ENE, period stretching to 8 seconds, and the energy is climbing to 265. The wind is just a light cross-onshore, making it marginal. The report says “questionable tide conditions,” but for the first time, it’s a 1 out of 10. Still, not the day.

Now, Monday the 31st of August is where things start to get interesting. The morning has a 5ft swell from the E, but the period jumps to 14 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The energy is strong at 875. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’s clean. The afternoon is even bigger, with a 6ft swell from the E and the energy hitting 1268, but the wind turns cross-onshore, putting a chop on it. The morning session is the best of this day, but it’s still only rated as marginal.

The Standout

Alright, here it is. Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. This is the one. The swell is 5ft from the NE, with a long 12-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 672. But the real kicker? The wind is glassy – a light NNW at 5 mph. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is the best on offer for the whole outlook. Playa Motones is a reef break, so a long-period swell like this will really wrap in and offer some nice, clean lines. It’s an intermediate break, so not for beginners, but for the experienced crew, this is the morning to be in the water.

The afternoon of the 2nd of September sees the wind switch to light onshore, which kills the quality. The rest of the week into the 4th of September is a mix of choppy cross-onshore winds and moderate to fresh breezes, with similar swell sizes but no quality.

Later in the window, on Sunday the 6th of September, the afternoon session looks promising again. A 3ft swell from the NNE, but the period is 13 seconds, and the wind is glassy. The energy is 308. The report says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s a smaller swell, so it’s cleaner and more user-friendly.

The final few days, the 7th and 8th of September, are just marginal with small swell and light cross-shore winds. Nothing to get excited about.

So, to sum it up: don’t bother with the first week and a half. The clear standout is Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. Glassy conditions, strong groundswell from the NE, and a reef break that will handle it. That’s the one. Sunday afternoon the 6th of September is another decent, smaller option.

Rusty.

Read more