San Clemente State Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s on the cards for San Clemente State Park over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – the first week and a half is a bit of a grind. We’ve got a pretty long stretch of days where the surf is just not doing us any favours.

From the start on Monday the 13th through to about Wednesday the 22nd, it’s a real struggle. We’re looking at small, weak swells, mostly between 1 ft and 3 ft, and the wind is almost always cross-onshore, messing up any chance of a clean face. The combined wave energy is mostly in the low to moderate range (200-500 range), just not enough grunt to make it worthwhile. This is a tough run for a beginner-friendly spot like this. There are a few moments of offshore wind on the 15th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, but the swell is so tiny it’s barely breaking.

Now, hold on to your leashes, because things start to look interesting later on. Wednesday the 23rd is the standout. The morning is looking *glassy* – that’s a glassy, zero-wind situation with 6 ft of S swell. The period is 14 seconds, which is nice, long-period groundswell that will wrap in with some real push. The combined energy jumps to 1368, which is solid, moderate-to-strong energy. This is excellent surf, but that 6 ft might be a bit much for the beginners, and the long period can make it a bit walled-off at a beach break. This is the one to circle on your calendar. The afternoon on the 23rd stays clean with offshore wind, but the swell drops a touch to 6 ft.

The 24th still has size, with 6 ft swell, but the wind switches back to a cross-onshore, so it won’t be as clean as the day before. The wave energy stays strong (around 1200-1300), but the chop will make it a bit of a battle. After that, the swell slowly fades out through the 25th, 26th, and 27th, with the periods getting longer again (up to 19 seconds on the 26th), but the heights drop back to the 2 ft to 5 ft range. The 26th has a massive 19-second period, which is very long, and that’s a tricky one for a beach break – it’s gonna be fat and lined up, better for a point or reef.

The water temp is sitting at 69°F with a 3°F anomaly, so it’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a small bonus.

So, the honest take: suffer through the first week and a half. The absolute best on offer is the morning of Thursday the 23rd of July – glassy conditions, 6 ft of S swell, and strong energy. That’s your window. The rest of the time is very marginal. If you’re a beginner, most of this is either too small or too big, so pick your window carefully.

Rusty.

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