Playa de Montalbo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let’s be real – for the first week or so, this spot is pretty much dead. The only break in the mix is Playa de Montalbo, a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, but it’s gonna be a slow start. Water temp is about 70°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least it’s not freezing.

We start Friday 7th August with nothing – tiny 1ft swells from the west, cross-on breezes, poor conditions. That carries right through the weekend and into Monday 10th August. Monday morning goes glassy but the swell’s only 2ft – not enough to bother with. The energy readings are weak, in the 20s and 30s.

Things pick up a little from Wednesday 12th August. The morning offers a 3ft west swell with a 9-second period, and the wind turns cross-offshore from the north – that’ll clean it up. The combined energy hits 131 (moderate), but it’s still only a 1/10 quality. Not exactly firing. Thursday 13th and Friday 14th mornings give you similar 2ft to 3ft rides with north or north-northeast winds keeping it reasonably clean, but the wave quality is still pretty ordinary. The swell direction is west-northwest, but the best direction for this break is from the southwest, so the angles are off.

Then we hit a real lull. From Saturday 15th August through Tuesday 18th August, it’s back to tiny, weak, or onshore junk. Sunday 16th August morning goes glassy but the swell is only 0.3ft with a super-long 18-second period – that’s all groundswell and no push. Not worth paddling out.

The real standout window opens later in the second week. Wednesday 19th August afternoon shows a 4ft swell from the northwest with a 9-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 205 (strong). But it’s cross-on with a breeze, so it’s messy. The best on offer is Friday 21st August morning – clean 4ft northwest swell, light north-northwest cross-offshore wind, and combined energy of 280 (strong). That’s the pick of the whole forecast. The swell direction is northwest, close to the optimum southwest, and the 9-second period should give decent shape on the reef. The morning of Saturday 22nd August is almost the same – 4ft, clean, cross-offshore, with energy climbing to 346 (strong). That’s another solid window. Afternoons get chopped by stronger winds, so get out early.

Crowds at Playa de Montalbo are “sometimes,” so you might have some company on those cleaner days, but it’s not a circus. Overall, the first week is a bust, but the final two mornings – Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August – are the ones to aim for. Still a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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