San Juan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are flat as a tack for San Juan. We're looking at a long stretch of nothing worth paddling out for, right through to the start of the third week. It's a proper dry spell. But hang in there, because there's a little window that pops up around the 21st that could be worth keeping an eye on.

Right now, Tuesday the 7th, there's just no swell at all. That carries on through the rest of this week and the start of next. About eight or nine days of nothing doing. We get a few tiny pulses here and there, like a 1.0ft NW windswell on Wednesday the 8th with a short 3-second period, but the wind is messy and it's just junk. Most mornings and afternoons are a write-off with cross-shore or onshore breezes. There's a moment on Saturday the 11th where we see a bit of hope – a 3ft north swell with a 11-second period and moderate cross-offshore wind, giving us a combined energy of 196 – but the score is still a zero. It's clean but the wave quality just isn't there. Sunday afternoon the 12th is the only time we even get a rating of 1 out of 10, with 3ft of WNW swell and clean offshore wind, but it's still described as very ordinary.

Then things get interesting. After all that flatness, on Tuesday the 21st of July, the swell really cranks up. Morning shows a 8ft west swell with a 10-second period, but it's cross-shore and choppy. Then Tuesday afternoon – listen up – the wind swings to southeast at just 3 mph and turns glassy. The swell holds at a solid 8ft from the west, period at 10 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a massive 1642. That's a strong, powerful swell. But mate, 8ft is big – this is for experienced surfers only. The break here is a reef, so with this kind of long-period groundswell it should hold shape. The report says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" and scores it a 4 out of 10 for the afternoon. That's the standout, the only real highlight in the whole run.

For a beginner spot that's inconsistent, this run of nothing is pretty normal for the area. As for crowds, San Juan can get busy sometimes, and for that Tuesday afternoon session, expect company.

Keep the 21st locked in your mind. Everything before that is just waiting.

Rusty

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