San Juan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, lookin' at the charts for San Juan. Gotta be honest with ya, this is a tough stretch. The next week and a half are mostly a write-off, but there’s a tiny, clean window that could be worth paddling out for if you’re keen.

The pattern starts rough. From now, Wednesday the 9th, right through until Saturday the 12th, the wind is howling onshore, mostly from the north-northeast at 15-22 mph. That’s just junk. A few pulses of swell come through, like on Friday the 11th with 6 ft to 7 ft of north-northeast swell (combined energy around 437 to 496, moderate for moderate energy), but the wind and cross-on chop ruin it. Saturday the 12th is still messy with similar sized swell and fresh cross-onshore winds. Just leave the board in the car.

Then, we get a real treat. Sunday morning, September 13th, the wind drops right off – glassy, barely a breath from the west at 3 mph. The swell drops to a more manageable 5 ft from the north with an 8-second period. Combined energy sits around 298, which is moderate energy. The report says “expect good surf conditions,” and for this stretch, that’s gold. It’s a reef break, an expert wave, and with that glassy morning, it’ll be clean. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a wetsuit might not be needed.

Monday the 14th morning is even more interesting. Glassy calm with zero wind, and the swell is 3 ft but from the northwest with a long 12-second period – that’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is 265, still moderate. Now, that long-period swell might not wall up perfectly on a beach break, but for a reef like San Juan, it should set up nicely with shape and good gaps between sets. That Monday morning is the standout of the entire forecast, but it’s small – 3 ft – so it’s a longboard or a funboard wave unless you’re really efficient.

After that, it’s back to the grind. From Monday afternoon, September 14th, all the way to Thursday the 24th, the forecast is dominated by onshore winds again, mostly from the north and northeast, and generally poor surf conditions. Swell stays knee-to-waist high if you’re lucky, with combined energy often dropping into the weak 100s, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. There’s a gap of over a week of nothing but onshore junk. The only flicker is Thursday the 24th morning, with a gentle cross-shore breeze and marginal conditions, but it’s still only 3 ft with a long period – tough to get excited about.

For the big picture: if you’ve got a free Sunday or Monday morning in the first week, that’s your only shot at something clean. The rest is a no-go.

Rusty.

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