Punta Rosarito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks at Punta Rosarito. The water temp here is sitting at a balmy 80°F, which is a massive 10°F warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a bath out there, very unusual.

To be brutally honest, the opening stretch is a struggle. From Friday the 11th right through to late September, the surf is almost non-existent for paddle surfing. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, with a lot of short-period, weak energy zapping any real punch. The combined energy readings are mostly in the doldrums, barely cracking 100 to 200 (moderate wave energy at best), and we’ve got a persistent cross or cross-onshore breeze that’s just scratching up the surface. It’s a long gap of flat, unappealing conditions.

Now, there’s a flicker of hope way out at the end of the window. On Monday the 22nd of September, the swell starts to show some life. By Tuesday morning the 22nd, we see a jump to 5 ft from the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds, but the energy jumps up to 433 (strong wave energy). The wind is still a cross-on, so it’s not ideal. That’s still looking like poor surf quality, though.

The only real standout, and I mean the only one worth noting, is the afternoon of Saturday the 20th of September. The combined energy is 251 (moderate wave energy) with a 2 ft WSW swell at 18 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The catch? It’s labeled as a marginal forecast. Still, for a reef break like Punta Rosarito that’s exposed to NW swells, a long-period WSW is a poor direction match and those long intervals can make it tricky. Crowds are possible here, and this spot is known to be consistent.

Honestly, for this whole 16-day run, the setup with the cross-winds and weak, short-period swells looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There are no good surf options on offer here. The blank run is pretty standard for this area when the swell windows don't line up with the wind.

Rusty.

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