Rincon - The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days are a bit of a flat spell for Rincon. The surf’s gonna be small and pretty average for the most part. There’s no one day that’s a real standout wave-wise, but we’ve got a few windows where the conditions clean up enough for a splash. The best you’ll find is small, clean fun, not the big walls Rincon is known for.

Water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is a solid 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That is very unusual – the water is feeling more like a warm bath than a late August/early September dip.

Okay, the first bit of surf to even talk about starts Monday the 24th. Monday morning is a write-off – poor surf, tiny 1ft swell from the SSW with a short period and weak energy (128). The breeze is light and cross, so the surface is messy. Monday afternoon is slightly better, with clean conditions, but the swell has dropped to 1.0ft from the SW. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Tuesday the 25th is more of the same: tiny 1ft SW swell, light cross-off winds, clean surface, but not enough push. Energy is still low (141).

Wednesday the 26th sees a slight bump to 2ft from the S, period around 12-13 seconds. The wind is light and cross-off in the morning, keeping it clean. The combined energy (236) is moderate. Still small, but the best of this first run. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are similar small stuff, but Friday morning looks the cleanest with light cross-off winds and a 1ft SSW swell. The period is a long 19 seconds, which is a nice groundswell, but the height is just too small to do much with. The energy is moderate (280).

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th keep the theme: 2-2ft SSW swells, with clean cross-off winds on Saturday morning. The energy is moderate (346). But the swell direction is coming from the SSW, which isn’t ideal for Rincon’s optimum – it likes a good NNW wrap. So the shape might be a bit soft and peaky.

From Monday the 31st of August right through to Tuesday the 8th of September, it’s mostly a mix of poor surf or very ordinary conditions. There are a couple of flickers on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September. Thursday afternoon shows a 3ft SSW swell (12s period) with clean cross-off winds and moderate energy (352). That’s about the biggest swell in the whole run. Friday the 4th afternoon also has a clean 2ft SSW swell with a longer period of 17 seconds, good energy (297). These are your best bets, but still very small by Rincon standards.

After that, it fades back to tiny 1-2ft swells through the weekend of the 7th and 8th. The energy is moderate (251) on the 7th, but the swell direction is SW with a very long period of 21 seconds, which can be a tricky, straight wave at a beach break, but at Rincon, a point, it’ll be better shaped – just too small. Tuesday the 8th looks blown out with onshore wind, so forget that.

So, to sum it up: Rincon is on a long, quiet run. The best sessions are likely Thursday afternoon the 3rd of September and Friday afternoon the 4th of September, with clean conditions and the highest swell of the period (3ft). But don’t expect any barrels. It’s a longboard or summer funboard kind of stretch.

If you’re desperate for a paddle, the mid-week mornings with light winds and a clean surface are your only real shot. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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