Playa Santa Catalina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

The next few days are gonna be a bit of a tease, but the long-range picture is shaping up to be something special. We’ve got a solid window of clean, consistent surf kicking off around the 24th of July that’s looking like the real deal.

First up, Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th offer tiny, clean waves. Playa Santa Catalina is seeing 3ft to 3ft of SSW groundswell with a nice 13 to 14-second period. The winds are looking good—cross-off on Thursday morning, and talk about a treat, Friday afternoon goes glassy. The water’s a touch warmer than normal at 86°F, which is nice for the skin. But the energy is just moderate (338 to 339), so it’s small and soft. Good for a log if you’ve got one.

Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are similar. The swell holds around 3ft to 3ft Saturday morning with clean offshore winds, but it’s still small. Sunday morning drops to 2ft. The combined energy is weak to moderate (334 to 382). It’s surfable, but not a standout.

Now, from Monday the 20th through Wednesday the 22nd, the mornings are your best bet. Clean conditions with light cross-off or offshore winds, but the swell is inconsistent and small—2ft to 3ft. The period drops to 7 seconds on Wednesday morning, making it weak and crumbly. The energy is low (202 to 290). Honestly, not much to write home about.

Thursday the 23rd is a real mixed bag. The morning is ordinary with a tiny 2ft swell, but then the afternoon throws a wildcard. You get a glassy 1.0ft swell with a massive 26-second period and a spike in energy (246). That’s an ultra-long period groundswell, so for a point break like this, it could groom into some beautifully lined-up, but extremely fat waves. It’s a weird one—tiny but perfect.

The Standout Run: Friday 24th July through Monday 28th July.

This is where it gets good. Starting Friday morning the 24th, the swell jumps to 2ft with a 24-second period, and the energy surges to 629. Winds are light and offshore. This is a proper, clean groundswell.

Saturday the 25th morning is clear and the swell holds at 2ft with a 21-second period and energy at 518. It’s still clean.

Then Sunday the 26th morning is where it really starts to pump. The swell is 3ft, period 19 seconds, and the energy rockets to 826. Offshore winds. This is a serious day for Playa Santa Catalina.

Monday the 27th morning is the absolute peak. 3ft of SSW swell, 19-second period, and a massive energy reading of 967. The winds are light and cross-off. This is the best of the whole forecast. The waves will have real shape and power for a point break.

Tuesday the 28th morning keeps the momentum with 4ft, 18-second period, and energy at 991. The afternoon goes glassy too. This is an incredible run of quality surf.

After that, things settle down. Wednesday the 29th morning is still good with 4ft and 16-second period, and Thursday the 30th morning offers a glassy 3ft. The very end of the run, on Friday the 31st, is calm and glassy but tiny.

Overall, the real standout is the window from Friday the 24th through Tuesday the 28th. The swell direction is SSW, which is the optimum for this spot, the winds are offshore or glassy, and the energy is strong to very strong. This is a classic, long-period groundswell hitting a point break clean. It’s not huge, but the quality is going to be well above average. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

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