Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Alright, so the outlook is a bit of a flat spell, to be honest. We’re looking at Rancho Santini as the only game in town, and even then, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The water temperature feels about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The action starts on Tuesday, the 28th of July. We’ve got a solid, long-period groundswell rolling in from the SW, with a 5 ft swell and a period of 17 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1170), so there’s plenty of push, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, putting a few ripples on the surface. It’s a bit marginal, and the tide might be a factor. It’s consistent here, so you’ll get waves, but don’t expect perfection.

Wednesday, the 29th, is similar. The swell drops a touch to 4 ft from the SSW, still with a very long period of 16 seconds. The energy is still solid (1011). The morning looks clean with an offshore wind, but the afternoon gets a bit of that cross-onshore bump again. A beginner-friendly spot, so it’s a good chance to get some practice in on a longboard.

Thursday the 30th afternoon sees a little bump in height to 5 ft from the SSW, with a period of 14 seconds. The energy is strong again (1165), and the wind is offshore. That’s probably the best window of the whole week for a clean, long wave.

From Friday the 31st onwards, things start to trend down. The swell sticks around 5 ft but the period drops to 13 seconds, and the wind becomes a steady onshore breeze. The energy is still moderate (898-905), but the quality is going to suffer. Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd are poor, with the swell dropping and the wind turning cross-onshore.

Then we hit a real slump. From Monday the 3rd of August right through to the end of the forecast on Wednesday the 12th of August, it’s all poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, often under 3 ft, and the energy is weak (under 400). The wind is mostly light, but it’s from the wrong direction or cross-onshore. There’s just nothing to get excited about. It’s a long, flat run.

So, to keep it simple: the best bet is the Thursday afternoon session on the 30th of July if you can get on it. It’s the cleanest, most powerful wave in the window. After that, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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