Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are going to be a bit of a grind for surf around here. We’ve got a few pulses of swell coming through, but the quality is just not there for most of the window. You’re looking at a stretch where you’ll need to be patient, pick your moments, and not get too attached to any one session.

The water’s sitting at 71°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.

We start off on Monday, August 3rd, with some small, weak swell at Rancho Santini. The waves are only around 2ft to 2ft, with the energy pretty much all over the place – nothing substantial at all. The wind is offshore, but the size just isn’t there to make it worth your while. It’s a clean but flat sort of a day. This pattern holds through Thursday, with tiny 2ft to 2ft waves and light offshore winds. It’s all a bit frustrating, really.

Then, heading into Friday, August 7th, we finally see a bit of a pulse. The swell bumps up to 2ft and the period stretches out to 19 seconds, giving it some proper groundswell energy (509). It’s still small, but there’s finally a bit more push behind it. The wind is light and offshore in the morning, so the conditions are actually pretty clean. It’s still only a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve seen. That trend continues into Saturday with 2ft to 3ft from the south-southwest, but the wind swings a little cross-on, which messes up the face a bit.

Sunday and Monday, August 9th and 10th, see the swell hang in there at around 3ft, but the period drops back down and it’s just not as clean. The cross-onshore wind creates a bit of texture on the surface, so it’s not really a stand-out. We get a slight bump again on Tuesday, August 11th, with 2ft and an 18-second period, but the overall energy is still pretty moderate.

The middle of the week, from Wednesday the 12th through to Friday the 14th, is more of the same – small, inconsistent surf with periods in that 16-18 second range. The wind stays offshore or light cross-on, but the waves are just not doing much. Then, we get a proper stint of wind starting on Thursday the 13th, picking up to 12 mph from the west-northwest. That’s going to chop things up and make it pretty messy.

Saturday, August 15th, sees the biggest swell of the window so far, hitting 3ft, but it comes with that moderate cross-onshore breeze, so it’s not going to be clean. We’ve got some energy there (569), but it’s not going to be well-shaped. That blustery, choppy condition carries through into Sunday the 16th with similar size and speed, and the wind gets even stronger in the afternoon. It’s not looking like a surf day.

Looking further out to Monday, August 17th, the wind settles back to light offshore, but the swell has dropped back to 2ft. It’s clean but pretty gutless.

Now, the one real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday, August 18th. The swell is still small at 2ft, but the period is a solid 16 seconds, and crucially, we get a period of light rain showers and glassy conditions with almost no wind. That’s the standout window in the whole run. It’s the only time where the surf conditions actually look *good*. A tiny, clean little wave with some energy behind it – that’s about as good as it gets over this stretch.

So, overall, it’s a lean couple of weeks. There are no big standouts to get excited about. The best bet is that glassy window on Tuesday the 18th, and maybe a peek at Friday the 7th if you’re desperate. It’s not a total blank, but it’s certainly not a period for epic sessions.

Rusty.

Read more