Playa Santa Catalina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in, ‘cause we’ve got a pretty mixed bag coming up for Playa Santa Catalina over the next couple of weeks. It’s a point break that’s very consistent, exposed to the SSW, and it loves a good south groundswell. The water is sitting at a balmy 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – you’ll feel that extra little bit of tropical warmth.

Right off the bat, Wednesday afternoon (September 9th) is a no-go. We’ve got a 2ft SSW swell coming in from the southwest with a cross-onshore breeze, and the whole thing is messy. The combined energy is moderate at 458, but the conditions are just poor. Not worth paddling out.

Things start to look up on Thursday morning, September 10th. Still a 2ft SW swell, but the wind goes light and cross-shore. It’s a marginal call, but you might find a few. The real standout of the first week? Thursday afternoon, September 10th. The swell drops a touch to 3ft from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s proper long-period groundswell, so the sets will have some real push and shape. And the best part: it’s glassy. Absolutely dead calm. That’s the kind of window you wait for. The combined energy is 532, so the ocean’s got some life in it. This is going to be clean, lined-up, and the point will be working beautifully.

Friday morning (September 11th) stays clean with a light cross-offshore breeze and the same 3ft SSW swell. Worth a paddle. Friday afternoon turns to junk with a southerly onshore, so leave it.

Saturday morning (September 12th) brings glassy conditions again, but the swell has dropped to 2ft and the period has shortened to 14 seconds. The combined energy is down to 233, so it’s weaker but still fun on the right tide. The afternoon on Saturday and most of Sunday follow a similar pattern – a little bump in the morning, blown out by the afternoon.

Monday (September 14th) is tiny. 1ft SSW swell with a long 19-second period. Very clean in the morning with a cross-offshore, but it’s just not got enough height to do much. Good for a log if you’ve got nothing else.

The next real highlight doesn’t come until the following week. On the morning of Wednesday, September 16th, we see the swell push back up to 3ft from the SSW with a 16-second period and glassy conditions. The combined energy is 422. That’s going to be another clean, punchy session on the point. But note the afternoon gets choppy again with a moderate cross-onshore breeze.

And if you’re looking that far ahead, keep an eye on Sunday morning, September 20th. We’ve got a 2ft SW swell, but the period jumps to 19 seconds, and the combined energy hits 762 – that’s strong, moderate-plus energy. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the WNW, so the waves will be clean. This is a long-range standout, but it’s promising. The caveat is that a 19-second groundswell can break a bit too straight on beach breaks, but here at a point break like Playa Santa Catalina, it should line up nicely into those long, peeling rights.

After that, the second week trails off into smaller, marginal conditions with lighter energy and a lot of onshore wind. There’s a 2ft push on Wednesday the 23rd with a short 10-second period – not really worth getting excited about. And the final few days drop into the 1ft range with weak energy readings in the double digits (87 to 101), so that’s pretty much a flat spell.

Honestly, if you want the best surf in this whole 16-day run, plan for Thursday afternoon, September 10th – glassy, 3ft groundswell, and the point will be pure.

Rusty

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