Refugio State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Refugio State Beach.

Right now, we’re in a pretty quiet patch at Refugio State Beach. For the next few days, the surf is small and pretty marginal, nothing really worth paddling out for in a big way. A bit of a slow start, but there are a couple of windows if you’re keen for a splash.

Saturday the 29th has some waist-high lines from the SSW, around 3 ft with a long period of 17 seconds—that’s some proper groundswell energy. Combine that with moderate wave energy (841), and the wave comment says it’s marginal. It’s pretty cloudy with a light breeze from the WNW, so it’s cross-shore, not ideal but not a disaster. The water is much warmer than normal at 70°, a full 7° above average, which is very unusual for the time of year. That’s the standout temperature anomaly you’ll feel when you’re sitting out there.

The real highlight comes Monday morning, 31st August. It’s glassy—dead calm wind from the SW at just 3 mph. The swell holds at 3 ft, still from the SSW with a 14-second period. The combined energy drops to 474, so moderate energy, but the glassy conditions make it the best chance for a clean, fun session. Wave comment says “expect good surf conditions,” and that’s the one to aim for. Crowds are often around here, so you won’t be alone, but it’s worth it for that clean morning.

After Monday, we drift back into marginal or poor conditions through the week. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are cross-on with small, weak swells (2 ft to 3 ft) and shorter periods between 11 and 13 seconds. The energy stays low to moderate (232–398). Nothing to write home about.

Now, we hit a notable gap. From Thursday afternoon the 3rd right through to Saturday morning the 5th, the swell stays around 2 ft to 3 ft, mostly cross-on or cross-off winds. Not great. But hold on—Saturday morning, 5th September, brings another glassy window. Same small 3 ft SSW swell, period 16 seconds, combined energy at 555. Clean, glassy conditions again. That’s your second standout. If you missed Monday, aim for this one.

Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th stay marginal, then Monday afternoon sees a change—swell shifts to the WNW, bumps up to 4–5 ft but with a short period of only 8 seconds. That’s windswell, messy, and cross-on winds from the SE. Poor conditions, no good.

Through the second week, from the 8th to the 13th of September, the pattern stays similar: small swell mostly from the SSW around 2 ft to 4 ft, but periods shorten to 8–12 seconds for many days. The 10th is worth a mention—Thursday afternoon has clean conditions with light NW wind and a 2 ft SW swell (16-second period), and the wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” Good, but small. The combined energy is moderate at 384.

The last few days, 11th to 13th September, are mostly marginal with weak WNW windswell at 4–4 ft, short 8–9 second periods. Not much to get excited about.

So, for this 16-day run at Refugio State Beach, the two true standouts are Monday morning the 31st August and Saturday morning the 5th September—both glassy, small but clean, and the best you’ll get. Everything else is either marginal or poor. For a beginner-friendly break like this, small and clean is the way to go. Keep your eyes on those mornings.

Rusty.

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