Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Rancho Santini over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. For the first five days, from Friday the 3rd right through to Tuesday the 8th, the surf is basically a write-off. The wave comment keeps saying “poor surf conditions” and scores are a big fat zero. The wind is mostly a cross-on or onshore breeze around 9 to 16 mph, and the water’s running about average for this time of year at 67°F. There’s some long-period groundswell in the water, with periods up to 16-18 seconds, but the swell heights are tiny and the conditions are just messy. It’s not worth paddling out.

Now, Wednesday the 8th starts to show a tiny glimmer. The morning sees a light breeze from the west at 6 mph, and the swell bumps up just a touch to 4 ft from the southwest, with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (889). The wave comment shifts to “marginal.” Still, it’s not great, but if you’re desperate, the offshore wind (onshore actually means blowing from the land out, so that’s clean!) could give you a few clean, small waves. The afternoon stays similar but with a bit less energy (743).

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th are more of the same – marginal. The morning of the 9th has a light cross-on breeze, 3 ft swell from the southwest, and combined energy of 683. By the afternoon, the wind goes cross-shore, which is a bit better, and the score creeps up to 2 out of 10. The swell direction (SSW) is actually matching the optimum direction for the break. Still, it’s tiny and inconsistent.

Honestly, the only window that might raise your heartbeat a little is from Wednesday the 8th through to Friday the 10th, and even then, it’s just marginal. There’s no standout session. The rest of the second week – from Saturday the 11th all the way to Saturday the 18th – is a long, flat run of poor to marginal conditions, with swell dropping to 1 ft to 2 ft and combined energy mostly weak to moderate (257 to 974). The wind sometimes goes offshore, which would make the water glassy, but with hardly any swell, it’s like having a perfect wave machine with no waves.

If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets over 5 ft, so it’s not too big, but it’s also just not good. The spot is consistent and exposed, but the forecast just doesn’t deliver. This is one of those stretches where you’re better off waiting for the next system to roll through.

Rusty.

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