Puerto Viejo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks. We’re looking at a solid run of small to moderate surf for the most part, but a couple of standouts later on are gonna be worth circling on the calendar. The water is sitting at a very unusual 71°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than average for this time of year. That’s pretty wild, so you might not even need a thick wetsuit right now.

The main attraction here is Puerto Viejo. It’s a beach and point setup that's fairly consistent and pretty exposed to the SW, which is exactly where our swell is coming from. The optimum direction is SW, so that lines up nicely.

We kick off Monday morning, July 6th, with a bit of cross-shore wind and some clouds, but the afternoon cleans right up. Swell is 4ft from the SW with a very long period of 17 seconds, giving us moderate wave energy (1046). That long period means proper groundswell with good shape, but at a beach-and-point break, those long gaps between sets might actually make paddling out easier. By afternoon, the wind goes cross-offshore, and it’s looking clean.

Tuesday July 7th is more of the same, a touch smaller at 4ft, still with that nice 16-second period and clean conditions in the afternoon. The energy drops a bit (732), but it’s still good fun for an intermediate surfer. Wednesday July 8th sees the swell dip to 3ft, but the wind goes offshore in the afternoon with a clean face. Nice small-wave boards day. This pattern continues right through the weekend and into the next week – consistent waist-to-chest high swell, mostly SW, with clean conditions and light winds. Crowds are likely here, so get out early or be ready to share.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After a little dip around July 16th, Friday July 17th afternoon brings a pulse. The forecast shows 4ft from the SSW, but check this out – a period of 20 seconds and energy jumping to 1690 (strong). Conditions are clean with a gentle offshore wind. This is excellent for experienced surfers. Then Saturday July 18th is the absolute standout. Morning session sees 7ft SSW swell at 17 seconds, with energy screaming up to 2594 (very strong). It’s clean, cross-offshore wind, and the records say excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is big for the area – over 5ft means it’s too much for beginners, and at over 8ft it would be expert-only, but 7ft is in that sweet spot for confident intermediates and up. The long period means it’ll break with real power, so the point might be the go-to for a better line.

Sunday July 19th is still pumping nicely at 5ft, with very good conditions and moderate-to-strong energy (1082). After that, the swell slowly fades through the following Monday and Tuesday. The very last day in the window, Tuesday July 21st, has a morning session with cross-shore wind and a marginal call, but by afternoon it’s clean again with 3ft and offshore wind.

Honestly, for the first week and a half, it’s good, clean, paddley fun. Nothing epic, but consistent. The real fireworks are on the 17th and 18th of July. That’s the one to plan for. Promising but you know how long-range forecasts can be, so keep an eye on it.

Alright, I’m out. Get wet.

- Rusty

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