San Vicente Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a long stretch ahead at San Vicente Rivermouth, and I gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough one. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for surf. There’s a huge gap of nothing good to start, with only a couple of windows that might barely be worth a look.

For the first week and a half, it’s a real struggle. Swell heights are tiny, mostly below 2ft, and the wind is all over the place – cross-on, cross-shore, never really cleaning it up. The energy is pathetically weak, with the combined energy reading barely hitting 100 (106) on the best of the early days, and often dropping into the teens and thirties. The water temp is sitting at 73° on Thursday morning, which is a solid 4° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a notable anomaly, feels like we’re in a warm little bubble here.

Things start to look a bit more interesting around the middle of the second week. On Tuesday, August 18th, we finally see a bump in size. The morning brings a 3ft NW swell, and while the wind is light cross-on, the energy jumps to 200 – that’s moderate, finally some push. The afternoon gets even better with 4ft from the NNW and the energy climbing to 260. Still, the wind is cross-on, so it’s not going to be pristine, but it’s the first real sign of life. This is the standout session for the whole outlook – bigger than anything else on offer, but honestly, it’s still just okay.

Then on Thursday, August 20th, we get another spike. Morning sees a 3ft NW swell with a nice 11-second period, and the combined energy is 276. The wind is light cross-on, which is better than it has been. The afternoon is similar with a 4ft NNW swell at 10 seconds. This is the second best option, but the wind is still just cross-on, not glassy. The wave comment says "marginal," so temper your expectations.

That’s the whole story. The rest of the time is filled with tiny, weak, or messy conditions. The Monday morning (August 10th) had a brief moment of glassy conditions with 2ft, but it was a one-off and the energy was still low (71). A couple of other mornings (August 17th and 16th) also had glassy conditions, but the swell was too small to do anything with.

For the breaks here, remember San Vicente Rivermouth is a river mouth, so it’s fairly exposed to the NW swell, which is the direction we’re getting. Its optimum swell direction is NW, so that’s a positive when the swell does show. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but with nothing to work with, that doesn’t help. The “sometimes” crowds mean you might see a few others, but with this forecast, it’ll be quiet.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, the Tuesday August 18th afternoon is your best bet, and the Thursday August 20th morning is a close second. But don’t go expecting magic. The rest of the time, it’s a flat spell.

Rusty.

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