Rio Chico Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Rio Chico. Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this isn't a week to get excited about. We're looking at a long, frustrating stretch of small, onshore-slanted swell, and it doesn't look like it's gonna change for a while.

The first break offering anything is Rio Chico, a point break well-suited for advanced surfers. It's a very consistent spot, exposed to the SW swell that's on the way. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary to report there.

We start off on Tuesday, July 14th with a weak pulse. The swell is a meager 2ft from the SW with a moderate 14-second period, but it's a mess. The combined swell energy is in the moderate range (244), but a 15 km/h cross-onshore wind is going to make it choppy and frustrating. This pattern holds through Wednesday, July 15th and Thursday, July 16th – small 3ft to 3ft SW swells, but the wind stays cross-onshore, keeping the wave face bumpy and ugly.

Honestly, the whole first week is pretty much a write-off. We get to Sunday, July 19th, and the morning session is the first time we see a "marginal" tag, with a 2ft SW swell and a 12-second period. The combined energy is weak (226), but the light breeze means the wind ripples won't ruin it completely. Still, not worth paddling out for unless you're desperate.

The following week doesn't offer much relief. We have a consistent stream of 2ft to 3ft SW swell, but it's either cross-on or onshore, with poor surf conditions persisting right through the end of the month. There's a small spike in combined swell energy in the late mornings of July 20th and July 24th (472 and 405 respectively), but the wind and wave condition comments just say "poor" or "marginal." It's just not coming together.

The real head-scratcher comes on Friday, July 24th in the afternoon. The swell drops to just 2ft, but the period jumps to a very long 21 seconds. The energy is still moderate (405), but a long-period groundswell that small? It's a tease. It’s going to be fat, weak, and probably won’t break properly at an exposed point like this. On Saturday, July 25th, a similar 2ft, 19-second period pulse rolls in, but again, it's marginal at best.

So, what's the standout? There isn't a true standout in this window. The best we can hope for is to look at those late-morning sessions around July 24th through the 26th. The swell direction is solid SW, which is the optimum direction for this break, and the wind stays light (10 km/h). The swell is tiny (2ft to 2ft), but the long period (17 to 21 seconds) might offer a few clean, slow lines if you've got a longboard and plenty of patience. Don't expect any power, though.

This is a long, dry run for Rio Chico. It's a consistent spot normally, so this kind of stretch is a bummer, not the norm. Keep an eye on the charts, because this blank run is bound to break.

Stay frothy,
Rusty.

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