San Juan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this is a tough stretch to call. We’ve got a fair bit of swell forecast for the first week and a half, but it’s coming in with a nasty onshore wind that’s going to chop everything up. It’s a real shame, because there’s some decent size in the water, but the conditions are just going to be ordinary for a paddle.

The first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn’t come until late in the run. For the first ten days, from the 22nd of July through to the 1st of August, the wind is hammering out of the north and north-northeast, smashing the face of the swell. The waves will be there, with heights between 6 ft and 10 ft, but it’s pretty much a write-off for clean surfing. The periods are short, mostly 7 to 8 seconds, so it’s just messy, onshore wind-slop. That’s a solid week and a half of poor surf.

We do finally see a bit of a shift on the 1st of August. The wind drops right back to a gentle breeze from the NNE, and the swell is 8 ft to 8 ft. The notes say the swell is actually too big for San Juan to handle properly, but the wind and tide are lining up. If you’re an expert, this might be your window, but it’s a big, powerful wall of water – definitely not for the faint-hearted.

The standout period, and the one that’s got my attention, is the 2nd of August. We’ve got a big pulse of swell from the NNE, pushing 12 ft in the morning. That’s very strong. The period is 9 seconds, which is okay. But again, the wind is a cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a bit choppy. The swell is too big for this break, so keep that in mind.

After that, the swell drops off through the 3rd and 4th. By the 5th of August, the swell is down to 3 ft, but the period starts to stretch out to 12 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s coming from the north.

Then, the one to look out for is the morning of the 6th of August. The wind is forecast to be glassy from the northwest at just 3 mph. The swell is small, only 2 ft from the north with a period of 10 seconds. The notes say it’s “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – I’d say ignore that because glassy conditions on a small swell can be a lot of fun. It won’t be big, but it will be clean. That’s a long way out, so treat it as a promising one to keep an eye on.

So, to wrap it up: the first week and a half don’t look great. The best bet is the 2nd of August for the brave on the big stuff, or the 6th of August for a sneaky, clean, small-wave session. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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