Rancho Santini Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on the table for the next couple weeks.

We only have one spot to talk about: Rancho Santini. The water is 65°, which is about 4° colder than it should be for this time of year – that’s a lot colder than normal, so a thick wetsuit is a must.

It starts off real slow. From Thursday the 20th all the way through to late on the 25th of August, it’s almost not worth mentioning. Tiny swell – from 1ft to 2ft – with weak energy (between 161 and 400 on the combined scale) and mostly cross-on or onshore wind. That’s a good six-day gap where you’re better off doing something else.

The first real chance comes Tuesday afternoon the 25th of August, when we see a bump to 3ft from the S with a 13-second period, light onshore wind from the W. Energy climbs to 709 – still moderate, but a lot more than nothing.

The best early window is Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th of August. Wednesday morning gives us 5ft of S swell at 13 seconds, with light cross-onshore breezes. The combined energy hits 1038 – moderate at last – and it holds through Thursday afternoon with another 5ft from the SSW. Light wind keeps it reasonably clean. This is your best bet for getting wet in the first week. It’s only marginal quality, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Into the first few days of September, the swell shifts to the WNW, but the period drops to 8-9 seconds – short period slop. On Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon, we get 6ft, but it’s weak energy at 884. Not great.

Then we get a real spice on Thursday the 3rd of September. Only 3ft of swell from the SW, but the period is a massive 21 seconds – very long period groundswell. Combined energy jumps to 1269. That’s the kind of pulse that can make a reef or point sing, though at Rancho Santini, that long-period SW groundswell might not wrap in perfectly.

The real standout, though, is Friday the 4th of September afternoon. Swell is 4ft from the SSW with a 17-second period, and the wind finally goes clean – a moderate breeze from the S giving us cross-offshore. Energy peaks at 1371, the highest of the whole run. Clean conditions and solid groundswell? That’s the session to aim for, but it’s a long way off so don’t book the day off just yet.

Crowds are possible at Rancho Santini as it says sometimes busy, but with so many marginal days, I wouldn’t stress about the lineup.

Stay tuned and stay patient. This is Rusty, signing off.

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