Playa Santa Catalina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your stretch of coast. The outlook is a bit of a slow starter, but there’s a real gem waiting for you if you’re patient.

We’re kicking off on Tuesday the 25th of August, and honestly, it’s pretty flat. Swell is a tiny 1 ft out of the SSW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. The energy is weak, sitting at 157 (moderate energy). The wind is light and cross-off in the morning, which keeps it clean, but there’s just not enough push to get excited about. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual. The afternoons get messy with a cross-on breeze, so give those a miss.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are more of the same – small 1.0 ft to 1 ft SSW swell, with energy hovering around 128 to 169 (moderate). The mornings offer clean conditions with light offshore or glassy winds, but the wave size is still tiny. It’s a good time for a longboard if you’re desperate, but not worth a paddle out for most.

Then we hit a bit of a gap. Friday the 28th, the swell starts to nudge up to 2 ft, with energy jumping to 337 (moderate). The morning is clean with a cross-off breeze, but the afternoon turns onshore. Saturday the 29th morning is the first real standout. Swell is 3 ft, period 16 seconds, and the wind is light offshore from the NNE, giving you clean, 3 ft waves. The energy is building to 507 (moderate to strong). This is a solid, fun-sized wave for advanced surfers at Playa Santa Catalina (point). The swell direction is SSW, which is the optimum direction for this spot. Crowds are possible.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st keep the swell around 3 ft to 3 ft, with glassy mornings and energy in the 436 to 461 range (moderate). The mornings are your window, as the afternoons get chopped up by cross-onshore breezes.

The real standout, though, is Friday the 4th of September. The morning session is shaping up to be the best of the entire outlook. Swell is 3 ft, but the period is a very long 18 seconds, giving it heaps of energy at 702 (strong). The wind is glassy from the NE, and the wave state is clean. For a point break like Playa Santa Catalina, this long-period groundswell will wrap in beautifully, offering punchy, well-shaped waves. The crowds are likely, given the quality, but the conditions will be world-class for advanced surfers. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th see a slight bump in size to 4 ft, but the mornings are cross-shore or glassy, with energy still strong (720 and 463). The quality is there, but the wind isn’t as perfect as that Friday.

After that, the surf holds at 3 ft to 3 ft through to the 9th of September, with glassy mornings and gentle offshore winds. The energy stays moderate, and the swells are consistent. It’s a solid run of surf, but nothing beats that Friday the 4th morning.

So, if you’re picking a day, make it the morning of Friday the 4th of September. Playa Santa Catalina will be firing with clean, long-period groundswell. Otherwise, the mornings from the 29th of August onward are your best bet. The afternoons are generally a write-off.

Rusty.

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