Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright everyone, Rusty checking in. It’s a tough forecast to call good news on. There’s a big, long gap at the start here – no surf worth mentioning for days. The only spot in the picture is Rancho Santini, so that’s where we’re looking.

For the first eight days, save your energy. We’re seeing tiny waves – 1 to 3 feet – with decent period (13 to 18 seconds), but the wind just churns it up into poor conditions. Day after day of poor or marginal calls. Not worth a session.

Finally, around Friday August 14th, the ocean wakes up. The combined energy hits 555 (moderate) on the morning and then 685 (strong) by the afternoon. The swell is from the SW at about 2 feet, with a super long 18-second period. That’s classic groundswell, but it’ll break straight on a beach, so look for a point or reef for better shape. The wind is light but still onshore, so it’ll be bumpy. Just a marginal day.

Your best bet in this whole 16-day window is Saturday the 15th of August. The swell touches 3 feet to 4 feet from the SW, with a 16-second period. The combined energy is strong – 669-688. Wind from the WNW to NW at 9 to 12 mph, cross-onshore, so it’s not glassy. But it’s the biggest, most powerful pulse we get. The water temp is 72°, a touch warmer than usual for August, which makes the wait a little more bearable.

With that constant cross-onshore push and the swell size, I’d say this stretch is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for the next week and a half. The paddle conditions are just too chopped up for the wave quality we want.

After that, the swell fades fast. The rest of the outlook up to August 23rd is a dribble of 2 to 3 foot waves, with the same moody offshore or cross-onshore breeze. No clean, calm morning to be found.

Tough run. But forecasts change – don’t lose hope.

Rusty.

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