Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but the second half of the window starts to show some life.

Right now, at Rancho Santini, the water is sitting at 66°, which is a bit colder than what we’d usually expect for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

The first few days are a write-off, I’m not gonna lie. From Saturday the 22nd through to Tuesday the 25th, the surf is poor. Small, messy, and cross-onshore wind keeps things choppy and uninviting. There’s a gap of about four days with zero worthwhile surf.

Things start to get a little more interesting from Wednesday the 26th morning. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the S, with a 12-second period, and the wind turns clean cross-shore. The combined energy is moderate (906). The conditions are still a bit marginal, but it’s the first real chance to get wet. The swell stays around 3ft to 4ft through the end of the month, with mostly light winds, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Now, the standout window is at the beginning of September. On Tuesday the 1st of September, the afternoon session sees the swell building to 5ft from the S, period at 13 seconds, and the wave energy climbs into the strong range (1027). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so there will be a bit of texture, but it’s the best all-rounder in the whole forecast. This is your pick. The swell direction is from the south, which matches the optimum west direction reasonably well, and it’s a consistent beginner-friendly break, just keep in mind that crowds are possible here.

Following that, Wednesday the 2nd of September morning holds 5ft from the S, with a 12-second period and light offshore wind. That’s clean, but the energy drops a bit (752). Still a solid option.

Later in the first week of September, on Thursday the 3rd afternoon, a long-period 19-second swell from the SW rolls in at 4ft. The energy is strong (1052), but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s not as clean as the Tuesday session. Still, that long period means the waves will have some real grunt and shape.

For the best surf on offer, point your board at Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon at Rancho Santini. It’s the most complete combination of size, energy, and decent wind in the whole 16 days.

Stay salty,
Rusty

Read more