Playa Negra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Playa Negra has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water is sitting at 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – you’ll feel that extra warmth as you paddle out.

We’re kicking off on Monday, July 27th, with a solid pulse of long-period groundswell from the SW. This is a serious one – the combined energy is pumping at 1337 (strong, very strong wave energy) and the swell period is a deep 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. Playa Negra is a point and beach setup, and with that long period, it’s going to wrap around the point beautifully. The morning is where it’s at: clean, moderate offshore breeze from the ENE, and the swell is a manageable 4ft. This is excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers who know their way around. The afternoon turns choppy with a cross-onshore wind, so get in early.

Tuesday the 28th, the swell picks up to 6ft, still from the SW. The combined energy jumps to 1766 – that’s some serious juice. The period is still a very long 18 seconds. This is expert territory. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, so the sets will be lined up and hollow. The afternoon has a light cross-onshore, so it’ll get a bit bumpy. This is the standout of the whole window – big, powerful, and clean in the morning. If you’re an advanced surfer, this is your day.

Wednesday the 29th, we still have a solid 5ft of SW swell, with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is 1194, still strong. Wednesday morning is clean again with a light cross-offshore. The afternoon has a light onshore, so it’ll be a bit messy. Still very good for experienced surfers.

Thursday the 30th, the swell drops to 4ft, with a period of 14 seconds. The energy is still moderate at 675. The morning is clean with a moderate cross-offshore, but the afternoon is actually the better call here – light breeze and clean, with a slightly different direction from the SSW. This is a ‘very good’ session for the afternoon.

Friday the 31st, the swell fades to 3ft. The morning has a clean, gentle offshore wind, making for some nice, lined-up waves. Not huge, but fun. The afternoon gets messy with a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-onshore – that’s a write-off.

Into the weekend, Saturday August 1st, the swell drops to 3ft. The morning is clean with a light offshore, but it’s small. Sunday the 2nd is even smaller at 2ft, but the morning is glassy – a light NNE breeze, no wind at all. That’s a rare treat for clean, small waves, but you’ll be on a longboard.

From Monday August 3rd through to the end of the run, the swell is generally small, hovering between 1ft and 3ft. There’s a little pulse on the 7th and 8th of August with a 3ft swell and a period of 18 seconds, which is that long period groundswell again. The combined energy on the 7th morning is 363, which is moderate. But the wind is a moderate onshore, so it’s not going to be clean. The 8th has a clean morning, but it’s small.

Overall, this is a classic Playa Negra window: the first few days are the real deal with strong, long-period SW groundswell. The standout is Tuesday the 28th morning – big, powerful, and clean. The water is a touch warmer than usual, and the crowds are listed as ‘sometimes’ here, so you might have some company, but it’s not a circus. For the rest of the window, it’s small and mostly ordinary, but with a few clean, glassy moments for the longboard crew.

Rusty.

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