San Juan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day stretch for San Juan is a tough one. Most of the window is blown out or junky, and I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The water’s running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 74.8°F, which is a small comfort when the surf’s letting you down.

The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until Sunday morning, the 23rd. That’s a gap of a couple of days from now with nothing on offer, so don’t rush out. Sunday morning brings a cleaner 3.3ft swell from the NNW with a long 15-second period, and light winds. The energy is moderate (583), and while it’s marginal, it’s the best you’ll see for a while. Sunday afternoon, though, is where the standout lurks: 6.2ft from the NNW at 13 seconds, with energy jumping to strong (1295). Winds are still light and offshore, so this reef break could actually line up nicely. San Juan is an expert-only spot, exposed and consistent, and it prefers swell from the NNW, which is exactly what we’ve got. This is your window—Sunday afternoon is the pick of the entire forecast.

After that, it’s grim. Monday through Wednesday bring onshore NNE winds, dropping swell, and shorter periods. The energy falls back to weak-to-moderate (131–364), and the waves get sloppy. By Thursday the 27th, the swell jumps to 8.2ft from the NNE, but it’s coupled with a strong 25 mph breeze and a short 8-second period. That’s a washing machine—too big and blown for most, and at that size it’s too much for beginners. Friday the 28th pushes 9.8ft from the NNE, but again, strong winds and short period. That’s expert-only territory, but honestly, the quality is poor. I’d call that more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing—it’s just raw, onshore energy.

The second week stays pretty rubbish. From the 30th onwards, we’re looking at 5.2ft to 6.6ft swells from the NNE with periods of 7–8 seconds, and winds never drop below a moderate breeze. The energy stays weak-to-moderate (241–529), and every single entry is marked as poor. There’s one slight uptick on the 5th of September—swell back to 5.2ft from the N with a slightly better 8-second period—but the winds are still fresh and onshore. It’s not worth getting excited about.

Bottom line: if you’re free Sunday afternoon the 23rd, get out there. That’s the one true standout. Everything else in this window is either too small, too short-period, or completely blown out. The consistent nature of San Juan means it won’t stay bad forever, but this run is a test of patience. Trust me, I’m as gutted as you are.

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