Punta Huanchaco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

The overall pattern is a nice, drawn-out run of clean, long-period SSW swell for Punta Huanchaco. The water is a balmy 70.7°, which is a whopping 6.1° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a proper tropical anomaly, so you’ll be real comfortable in a spring suit or even just a rashie.

We kick things off straight away. The first good recommendation is for Friday afternoon, the 24th of July. The swell is a clean 2.6 ft from the SW with a very long period of 20 seconds, delivering moderate wave energy (718). The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the south, keeping things clean. This is a classic point break setup, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely here.

The real standout, the one you want to circle, is Tuesday morning, the 28th of July. The forecast is for glassy conditions with the wind dropping to almost nothing (5 km/h) from the SW. The swell picks up to a solid 4.9 ft, still from the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy jumps to strong (1112). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – the kind of morning where you’ll be trading waves with just a few regulars. It’s not too big for the point, but it’s got enough push to make every drop count.

The run continues strong through the week. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th offer clean, 2.6 ft to 3.0 ft surf, though the wind shifts a bit cross-shore on Sunday. Monday the 27th sees a slight bump up to 3.6 ft in the morning and 4.6 ft in the afternoon, with energy climbing into the high three digits (989 and 1187). On Tuesday afternoon, the wind picks up a bit, but the morning is the clear winner.

From Wednesday the 29th onward, the swell slowly backs off. The 30th and 31st still have rideable 3.0 ft to 3.6 ft surf, but the period drops below 15 seconds, and the energy dips into the 400s and 300s. It’s still clean, but the magic is fading.

There’s a bit of a gap between the 31st of July and the 1st of August, with the swell dropping to 2.0 ft. The first week of August sees a new pulse of shorter-period swell (8 to 9 seconds) from the SSW. It’s not the same quality as that first week, but the mornings on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of August offer clean 3.3 ft to 3.9 ft waves with light offshore winds. Not a standout, but a fun option if you’re jonesing.

The 8th of August shows a little uptick in size to 4.3 ft and 4.6 ft, but it’s still short-period, so it won’t have the same punch as that first week’s long-period groundswell.

Crowds are listed as "sometimes" at Punta Huanchaco, so on that Tuesday morning, you might find a few others in the water, but it won’t be a zoo.

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