Playa Pantaleta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at the waves coming up at Playa Pantaleta. It’s a beach and reef set-up, fairly consistent, and it needs a swell from the NNE to really fire. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

To be honest, the outlook is a slow burn. We’re looking at a long stretch of days here where the conditions just aren’t cooperating. From Tuesday the 28th of July right through to Saturday the 8th of August, it’s a real struggle. The wind is stubbornly cross-shore from the east, and the wave quality is being described as poor. We’ve got a weak, short-period swell bumping around, with combined energy mostly in the low hundreds (35–374) – not enough to get excited about. The water’s going to be a bit choppy and messy, so it’s a solid week of looking at the ocean and deciding to go for a beer instead.

The only glimmer of hope, and I mean the only real standout in this whole 16-day window, comes on Sunday the 9th of August. That morning, the wind drops right out. We’re talking glassy conditions, with the breeze coming in from the ESE at just 3 mph. The swell is a clean 5 feet from the ENE, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy pushes up to 222 (moderate), and the forecast is finally calling for good surf conditions. This is the one to circle. The waves will be clean and lined up, and with that light air, it’ll be a treat. The afternoon looks a bit smaller at 4 feet, but still glassy, so you could get a solid session in.

After that brief window, we go back into the blender. Monday the 10th sees the swell bump up a touch to 6 feet, but the wind swings back to a cross-shore, making it a marginal call. The combined energy climbs to 365, but the chop will ruin the fun. Tuesday the 11th has a top of 6 feet from the ENE with a period of 7 seconds, and the energy hits 593, but again, a 12 mph cross-shore wind will trash the surface. For the rest of the run into the second week, it’s more of the same – poor surf conditions, cross-shore breeze, and nothing worth paddling out for.

So, bottom line: Saturday the 9th of August is your golden ticket. Get on it early, because that’s the only day this forecast is serving up anything clean. The rest of the time, you’re better off finding a kite if you’re desperate, because the wind is consistent even if the surf isn’t.

Rusty.

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