Playa Santa Teresa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it.

The next couple of weeks are going to be a bit of a mixed bag for us here, with surf on offer most days but a lot of it pretty average. The real window of opportunity is shaping up for the mid-part of the forecast, with a couple of days that are going to be worth circling on the calendar. We're not looking at any huge, grinding swells, but there are some clean windows with proper offshore winds that will make the most of what we have.

Starting off this Sunday afternoon the 6th, it's looking marginal. We've got a 4ft SW swell at 14 seconds, but that stormy weather and onshore wind are going to chop it all up. Not the one to get excited about. The energy is moderate though, with a combined reading of 794.

The real action begins early Monday morning, the 7th. The swell drops slightly to 4ft but it’s still from the SW with a long 14-second period, and more importantly, we get that glassy condition with a light NW wind. This is when it turns clean and the surf starts to look like something. The energy is moderate (454).

The standout of the whole run looks like it's going to be Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th. Tuesday morning, the swell is a touch smaller at 3ft, but we get 556 of moderate energy and a clean, cross-off wind. The call for Tuesday morning is “very good surf conditions.” That’s your call to get out there. Wednesday morning, the 9th, is right there with it – 3ft of SW swell at a long 16 seconds, glassy, and again, they're calling it “very good.” The water's a cool 87° which is *much warmer* than average for this time of year, which is a lovely little bonus.

Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are still holding up well. The swell pushes back up a bit to 4ft for Thursday morning with that glassy wind again. There's decent moderate energy on offer (881), and it’s another “very good” call. Friday morning, the 11th, is the same story – 4ft at 16 seconds and glassy. These mornings are all about getting out there before the afternoon winds ruin the party.

After that, things start to fade. The weekend of the 12th and 13th sees the swell dropping back down to 3ft and then 2ft. There are still surfable waves on the Saturday morning, but the magic is gone. By the 14th, we're down to a tiny 1ft event with a very long 19-second period. The energy drops way down into the low 100s, a weak reading. It will be small and slow.

The following week from the 15th to the 21st is a real lottery, mostly for the early morning slots. The 16th looks the most promising, with the swell lifting back to 3ft and a clean cross-off wind. There's some more moderate energy behind it (645), and a “very good” forecast for the morning. Just look at that long-range promise for the 18th – a 21-second period swell, which is an incredibly long groundswell. It’s tiny though, only 2ft, but with glassy conditions, it could offer some clean little runners.

Surf-wise, the standout is pretty clear. That Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning window is the best of the lot. There’s another promising call for Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th, but the first two days of that run are the ones we’ll be talking about. The biggest swell of the period actually arrives on Sunday the 6th, but it’s a stormy mess. So, for quality, it’s all about the 8th and the 9th.

This is all at Playa Santa Teresa. It's an exposed beach break, so even with that long-period SW groundswell, you might find it breaking a little straight. It's a consistent spot, so the waves will be there, but you have to nail those clean morning windows. The long-period swells will be more powerful and have longer lulls, which makes paddling out a little easier. With the crowds “sometimes” an issue, an early session is going to be your best bet for an uncrowded line-up.

For the weekend warriors and beginners, the 4ft on Sunday is manageable, but the onshore wind will make it tricky. Everything else under 4ft is also fine, but quality is the issue, not size. Nothing here ever gets too big for you, but the clean windows are the key to having a good time.

For the second week, from the 15th onwards, don't chase it. The mornings are your only hope, and the 16th looks like the best of a fairly average bunch. There's one nice looking event on the 21st, but that's far out and forecasts can shift, so just keep an eye on the charts.

All in all, we’ve got a solid 4ft top-end window of clean surf for the 8th and 9th. It won't be huge, but it'll be fun, and that's all we need sometimes. Get on it.

Rusty.

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