Rosarito Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. The charts are showing some glimmers, but we gotta be patient through the first part of the week. The good news is, a solid SW groundswell is on the menu for the end of the month, just need to pick the right window.

Right now, starting Monday the 20th, Rosarito is a bit of a non-starter. Some clouds, a light WNW cross-on breeze. Swell is a clean 3 ft from the SW with a very long 16-second period. That long period is a beautiful sign, but the wave energy is moderate (741) and the combo of a rivermouth setup and a questionable tide is making things messy. Not worth the paddle.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd are worse. The wind picks up from the NW, sideshore and choppy. Swell drops a touch, period shortens, and the energy slips back into the 500s to low 600s. These are days to spend on dry land.

Thursday the 23rd is the same story – sideshore wind, chop, and energy sitting in the mid-700s. Swell pushes up to 4 ft, but short 13-second period on a beach and reef setup in those conditions is a kiteboarder's day, not a surfer’s.

But hold onto your board. Friday morning the 24th is a real standout. The wind flips to a clean W offshore at 9 mph. The swell is a small 2 ft, but the period jumps to a massive 24 seconds, making it a very long period groundswell. The wave energy jumps into the strong range (1173). This spot is consistent, so even though it's small, that long period energy will wrap in cleanly. A touch warmer than average water at 70°. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, and that offshore wind is a major positive. This is the window for a longboard or a fish.

From there, we drift into a mellow stretch. The weekend of the 25th and 26th has some onshore wind and smaller, shorter-period swell, with energy hanging around the 900 mark. It's not a total loss, just marginal.

Things get more interesting again starting Monday the 27th. Clear skies, a gentle cross-shore breeze from the SSW. Swell holds around 4 ft from the SW with a solid 18-second period, and the energy climbs back up (1168). This is a promising morning window with that long period favouring the point and reef sections.

Tuesday the 28th is the best of this next run. Again, morning is cleaner with a gentle cross-shore breeze. Swell is 5 ft from the SW, 17-second period, and the combined energy hits 1262 – that's strong. This is medium-sized, clean surf with proper energy, but it's not too big for a confident intermediate.

The first week of August brings a bigger pulse. Friday the 31st of July morning has a clean 5 ft S swell with a 16-second period and a massive energy reading of 1453. The wind is light and offshore. This is a proper swell, but at 5 ft it's pushing into that range that might be too much for beginners on a bigger day. Saturday the 1st of August is even larger at 7 ft, but the wind turns cross-onshore and choppy, so the quality drops.

After that, the energy drops off a cliff on Sunday the 2nd and into the new week, with short-period, weak swell and a return to marginal conditions. The run up to the 4th of August sees a pulse of 6 ft S swell return, but again with a cross-onshore breeze.

So the call: If you want the cleanest, most special window, be on the water Friday morning the 24th for that 24-second groundswell and offshore wind. For a more substantial, all-around solid session, target Tuesday morning the 28th.

Rusty.

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