San Vicente Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut straight to it. The next couple of weeks at San Vicente Rivermouth are looking pretty damn quiet for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of small, messy, and just plain ordinary surf heading our way, so don’t get too excited about the short term. The first decent pulse of energy doesn’t show up until the tail end of the window, and even then it’s a mixed bag.

Right now, and for the next several days, it’s flat and forgettable. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it’ll feel nice while you’re bobbing around doing nothing. Through the 20th and into the 21st, we see a bit of a bump in size—around 3ft to 5ft on Thursday and Friday—and the energy finally gets into three digits, like 233 and 408 in the morning. But the wind is all over the shop, mostly cross or cross-on, and the period is short, around 10 seconds. It’s just not gonna be clean. The rain doesn’t help the vibe either. This is not the time to paddle out expecting glory.

From the 22nd through to the 29th, it’s a real wasteland. Swell drops back under 3ft, the period is gutless, and the energy readings are mostly in the low double digits. A couple of mornings on the 27th and 28th are glassy, with the wind dead calm, but the surf is only 2ft—ankle to knee high, if you’re lucky. It’s surfable but only just, and honestly, you’d be better off doing something else. There’s a stretch of several days here where there’s just no real recommendation, so don’t hold your breath.

Now, here’s the one to circle on the calendar. Tuesday the 1st of September, bright and early. The swell jumps to 5ft from the NW, with a 10-second period and energy climbing to 380. The wind is light from the SSE, and it’s glassy. Conditions are finally lining up—this is the standout of the whole run. There’s a bigger pulse on the Tuesday afternoon at 5ft and energy at 543, but the wind swings cross-on and it gets messier. The Wednesday the 2nd has the most energy of the whole forecast—617 on the morning—and a longer 11-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and there’s a chance of a thunderstorm, so it’s a classic case of promising swell getting chopped up.

The crowd factor at the Rivermouth is usually “sometimes” busy, and with the good conditions that Tuesday morning, you might see a few more heads than usual. It’s a river break, fairly consistent, and the swell is coming from the NW which is its optimum direction. But remember, these longer-period swells, over 11 seconds, can run a bit straight at beach breaks—this being a river mouth, it tends to handle that better.

So, bottom line: don’t waste your time this week. The 1st of September morning is the best on offer, but it’s a week and a half away, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed. After that, the surf gets bigger but sloppier. There’s decent size around, but the quality just isn’t there for a proper session in the second week. Keep an eye on that Tuesday morning on the 1st. Rusty out.

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