San Juan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin'.

Well, to be straight with you, the next 16 days are a tough stretch for surf. The first real recommendation doesn’t kick in until the 4th of September, so we’re looking at a gap of over a week with nothing worthwhile on offer. Before that, it's a whole lot of onshore wind and raw, junky conditions. We do get some size later, but the wind is a killer.

For that early part, from the 26th of August all the way through to the 3rd of September, the wind is hammering out of the north and northeast at 18 to 22 mph, sometimes even 25 mph. The swell builds from 3 ft up to over 7 ft, and the wave energy gets pretty serious – we’re talking moderate to strong energy here (values from 122 up to 658). But it’s all onshore, choppy, and unsurfable. You wouldn't want to be out there in that mess.

Things finally look up on Friday the 4th of September. San Juan (reef) is the only spot that gets a nod, and even then it's marginal. On the morning of the 4th, we have some clouds, a light 3 mph wind from the north – a slight air – that's cross-on. The swell is 4 ft from the north, with a period of 8 seconds. The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal at about 75°, which is nice. The combined energy is moderate (234). It’s rated as “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so you’d have to be keen and pick your moment. This is a reef break that's exposed to the north-northwest, and the swell direction is from the north, so that's a decent match. But it’s an expert-only wave, so don't paddle out if you're not on your game. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

After the 4th, the window closes again. The 5th and 6th of September see the swell dropping back down to around 3 ft and the north wind returning onshore, making it a write-off. From the 7th to the 10th of September, the swell rebuilds a bit, hitting 5 ft to 7 ft from the north-northeast, but it’s still accompanied by that onshore wind from the north or northeast at 12 to 18 mph. The wave energy is moderate to strong (values from 168 to 409), but the wind is just ruining it. For Friday the 10th at San Juan, the swell drops to 5 ft-6 ft and the wind lightens up a little to 12 mph from the north-northeast, which is still onshore. It's not enough to get excited about.

Overall, the only semi-decent surf in this whole period is on the morning of the 4th of September at San Juan. The rest is a hard pass unless you’re a kite surfer, because with that much side-to-onshore wind and a beach setup, it’s more interesting for them than for us.

Rusty.

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