Salsa Brava Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into the outlook for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a single spot on the radar, and it’s a proper reef slab that only the experienced crew should be looking at: Salsa Brava.

The first half of the window looks pretty grim for decent waves. The consistent small stuff that’s coming through from the ENE through most of July is mostly a no-go. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore pretty much every morning and afternoon, so the surface is going to be messy. The wave energy is moderate at best, with the combined energy reading around 273 (moderate) on the morning of the 27th, but the glassy conditions that morning are a tease. That good surf window is gone by the afternoon. From Monday the 28th to Wednesday the 30th of July, the swell drops to 3ft to 3ft with short, weak 8-second periods and the wind stays onshore. It’s a total write-off. Thursday the 30th sees a slight bump to 5ft and a bit more energy (300 - moderate), but the wind is cross-shore and the forecast is marginal. Friday the 31st actually pushes up to 6ft with a 10-second period and combined energy of 533 (moderate), but with a cross-onshore wind, it’s not going to be clean.

The run of marginal conditions continues into the first week of August. The swell gets a bit bigger on Saturday the 1st of August, hitting 7ft from the ENE with a ton of energy (890 - moderate to strong). That’s getting into expert-only territory, especially on a reef. But the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s likely lumpy. Sunday the 2nd of August and Monday the 3rd stay small and messy. This is a long stretch of poor conditions.

Now, things start to get exciting around the 4th of August. Tuesday morning the 4th shows a clean cross-offshore wind from the SW, with 4ft of 9-second ENE swell. The energy is solid (258 - moderate) and it’s looking clean. This is the first real highlight of the window. But the absolute standout is Wednesday the 5th of August. That afternoon, the wind goes glassy, with 6ft of NE swell and a 9-second period. The combined energy is 539 (moderate to strong) and the forecast is for "very good surf conditions." That’s the session to circle. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual to report.

The following week keeps the swell alive. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are mostly blown out by onshore winds, but the base swell is still there. By Saturday the 8th of August, the swell is pushing 7ft to 8ft from the NE with a 10-second period. The energy is pumping (936 to 1039 - strong), but it’s still cross-onshore, so it’s a mix of big, powerful waves and wind chop. That’s for experts only. Sunday the 9th of August sees the biggest swell of the run: 8ft from the ENE, 10-second period, and a massive 1294 (strong) combined energy. Again, the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s a raw, powerful, and lumpy day. Only the bravest and most skilled should even think about it.

The final standout is Monday the 10th of August. The morning and afternoon both deliver glassy conditions with 6ft and 6ft of ENE swell, 9-10 second periods, and solid energy (697 and 530 - moderate to strong). The forecast is "very good surf conditions." That’s a fantastic, clean, powerful day at the reef. Tuesday the 11th of August ends the outlook with a bump in wind, so it gets messy again.

Bottom line: The first week is a write-off. The two absolute best bets are the afternoon of Wednesday the 5th of August and the morning of Monday the 10th of August. Both are glassy with quality, chest-to-head-high swell. The 8th and 9th have massive swell but blown-out wind, so that’s a different kind of game. Keep your eyes on those glassy days.

Rusty, signing off.

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