Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Rancho Santini over the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a slow burner, to be honest. We’ve got some swell running through the end of July and into the first day of August, but it’s all marked as marginal – the kind of surf that’s there, but you’ve got to work for it and pick your tide. The real standout window is the first few days, from Sunday the 26th of July right through to Thursday the 30th.

Sunday morning is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a 4ft SW groundswell, with a very long period of 19 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 914. The wind is a light cross-on from the SW, so it’s not glassy, but it’s not terrible. That long period will give you some proper lines at this exposed spot, but it’s a beginner break, so that long period might make the sets a bit more powerful than you’d expect. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Monday the 27th is the pick of the bunch. The morning shows a 4ft SW swell, still a solid 18-second period, and the energy jumps up to 1130. The wind is a light cross-shore, which is a nice change. That’s the cleanest window we get. The afternoon holds up with 4ft and a light cross-on, but the morning is where it’s at.

Tuesday the 28th is similar, with 5ft SW swell and 17-second periods, but the wind is back to a light cross-on. It’s still rideable, but not as clean as Monday. The energy is strong at 1204. The swell ticks up to 6ft on Thursday afternoon, but the wind turns more onshore, and the period drops to 14 seconds. It gets a bit lumpy.

Friday the 31st sees the swell peak at 6ft, but the wind swings to a moderate cross-on from the WNW at 12 mph, making it choppy. That’s getting too big for beginners, and the chop makes it a slog. After that, from Saturday the 1st of August onwards, the bottom drops out. We hit a long stretch – almost a full week – of poor surf, with heights dropping to 2ft to 2ft and very low energy (down to 130-300 range). The wind is mostly light, but the swell just isn’t there. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

There is a little flicker of hope on Monday the 10th of August. The morning shows a 2ft SW swell, but the wind is glassy – calm, zero wind – and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” The energy is low at 252, so it’s a small, clean, glassy day. If you’re patient, that’s the best you’ll see in the second week, but it’s a long way off and the swell is tiny.

Bottom line: if you want waves, be on it Monday the 27th for the best combo of size and clean cross-shore wind. The rest is marginal or flat. Keep your expectations in check, and don’t bother packing the board for the first week of August.

Rusty.

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