Playa Santa Catalina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there are some real moments hidden in there if you’re willing to wait.

For the first several days, the surf is small. We’re mostly looking at waist-high waves and the energy behind them is pretty weak. The direction is hanging in that SSW zone, which is right for Playa Santa Catalina. The water is running at 86°, which is a couple of degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might not need much rubber.

Monday the 17th has a cross-on breeze and some stormy energy around, making for messy conditions. Not worth getting too excited about. Tuesday the 18th is where it starts to feel a little better. The morning shows some clouds with a light NE breeze turning it glassy, and we’ve got a clean 3ft SSW swell. The energy is still only moderate, but it’s clean, and that’s what counts. The afternoon goes dead calm, and it’s still glassy. That’s a decent window.

Wednesday the 19th morning is clean again with a slightly longer period swell, but the afternoon turns onshore and it gets messy. Thursday the 20th sees a bit more size, hitting 4ft by the afternoon, but the wind is on it, so it’s not great.

Now, here’s where we start talking about the standout. Friday the 21st in the morning is the first real highlight. It’s cloudy, but we’ve got a clean 4ft SSW swell. The energy is building, and that’s a proper, clean, head-high wave rolling into a very consistent point break. This is the kind of morning you clear your schedule for.

The weekend sees the swell drop back down a bit. Saturday the 22nd is glassy in the morning with 3ft, clean but smaller. Sunday and Monday, the 23rd and 24th, it fades to ankle-biters, around 1ft, even though the period stretches out. That long period is nice in theory, but at that size, it’s barely breaking. The energy is weak, so it’s more of a paddle-around day.

The middle of the next week, from the 25th to the 28th, is pretty flat. We’re talking 1ft to maybe 2ft of swell. It’s not doing much, and the afternoons get chopped up by the sea breeze. Some mornings are clean, but there’s just nothing to ride.

Then, get this, the swell starts to build again towards the end of the month. It’s still a week and a half out, so don’t book your flights yet, but the models are showing some promise. Saturday the 29th in the morning is looking like the big one. It’s glassy, with a 3ft SSW swell, and the energy jumps right up to a strong 656. That’s a big jump. Sunday the 30th morning is also looking prime: clean, 3ft, and even more energy at 701. That’s the standout of the whole run.

And the good news keeps coming. Monday the 31st in the morning is looking dead glassy with 4ft of SSW swell, and energy at 511. That’s another clean, fun day. After that, it settles back down a bit, but still surfable. The afternoons get onshore and messy, so it’s all about the mornings.

So, the long and short of it: the first week is small and a bit inconsistent. The energy is weak. But if you can wait it out, the final few days of August and the 1st of September are looking proper. That Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are your best bets for clean, punchy waves at Playa Santa Catalina. It’s a long way out, so treat it as promising rather than certain, but it’s got me smiling.

The crowds at this spot can be a factor, so get out there early to make the most of the glass.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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