Playa Santa Catalina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, checking in with a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a pretty promising run of surf on the cards, mainly starting from Sunday afternoon and rolling through most of the forecast period. The standout swell direction is SSW, which is exactly what Playa Santa Catalina loves to see. Water temps are sitting at 86°F, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so you can leave the fullsuit at home.

Let’s talk about the pick of the period. We kick things off on Sunday July 5th with a small but clean signal: a 3ft SSW swell, with a very long 14-second period. The ocean energy is moderate at 464. The wind is light and onshore from the SSE though, so it’s not the best quality. Definitely a session for the keen ones to get a feel for the ocean.

Now, Monday July 6th is where it gets interesting. The morning session is looking epic at Playa Santa Catalina. We’ve got a 3ft SSW groundswell with a super long 16-second period, giving that wave a lot of push and shape. The combined energy is moderate at 618. With a glassy offshore breeze from the NNE, it’s going to be clean. That’s the one to circle.

The real standout though is Tuesday July 7th. The morning is truly firing. The swell bumps up to a solid 4ft from the SSW, with an 18-second period. This is proper groundswell, with strong energy (1142). Offshore winds again from the NNE, making for really clean, lined-up sets. This is excellent for experienced surfers, as the size will be pushing it for beginners. The afternoon gets a bit tricky with a cross-onshore breeze, but the morning will be well worth the early alarm.

Wednesday July 8th also has a solid 4ft SSW swell running, and the morning session will be clean with light offshore winds. The energy remains strong at 896. Another very good window.

We get a few days of smaller, cleaner windows through to the end of the week and into the weekend, with glassy conditions on Friday morning July 10th. The forecast models show a few periods with risk of thunderstorms, so you'll have to be on your toes.

Into the second week, from Monday July 13th onward, the swell drops back a bit, hovering around 3ft to 4ft. There are still some clean morning windows with light offshore breezes, like Tuesday July 14th morning and Saturday July 18th morning. The energy drops to lighter levels on the 18th (185), so it’ll be fun for a smaller board but nothing to get too excited about.

Overall, Monday July 6th morning and Tuesday July 7th morning are your best bets. Get on them.
Rusty.

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