San Vicente Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ll level with you—this 16-day stretch for San Vicente Rivermouth is a rough one. We’ve got a long, lean patch ahead with hardly any real windows for a good session. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, at 72°, but that’s about the only thing going for us.

The first few days are a total dud. Tuesday the 25th is flat and sloppy, with poor conditions all day. That carries right through Wednesday and Thursday—tiny dribbles with no punch and crummy cross-off or cross-onshore winds. It’s not until late Thursday afternoon that the wind goes glassy, but the swell is only 2ft from the NW with a short period, so it’s barely worth paddling out. Friday the 28th shows a pulse: morning has 4ft NW swell with moderate combined energy (211), but the cross wind isn’t right. By afternoon, the swell jumps to 6ft with a period of 10 seconds and a solid 681 combined energy, but that NW wind cranks to 25 km/h, cross-onshore, making it choppy and ugly. Too messy for a clean wave.

Saturday the 29th morning has 4ft from the NW and glassy conditions, but the energy is only moderate (220) and the waves are “surfable but very ordinary.” Sunday morning the 30th is similar—3ft NW, glassy, with 132 energy—but again, nothing to rush out for. The whole first week is a washout.

There’s a gap of several days with nothing worth mentioning. Then we get to Wednesday the 2nd of September morning: that’s the best we’ve got. NW swell at 5ft with a 10-second period, combined energy of 373, and glassy conditions under a N wind. Clean, lined-up sets at this river mouth, which is fairly open to that NW direction. It’s intermediate-friendly at that size, and with the moderate energy and glass, this is your one real chance. Crowds can show up sometimes here, so expect a few others with the same plan.

Thursday the 3rd falls apart with onshore wind and chop. After that, the second week is mostly flat or wind-fried. The only other flicker is the very end: Tuesday the 8th of September morning has a big 8ft NW swell with 9-second period and combined energy of 1296—strong energy—but the cross-onshore wind ruins it. That’s too big for beginners anyway, and with the wind on it, it’s a mess. Wednesday the 9th is similarly average. Nothing else steps up.

Honestly, if you’re not desperate, Wednesday the 2nd morning is the one to mark. Everything else is either flat, blown out, or both. This dry spell is pretty normal for the area when it goes quiet, but forecasts can turn, so don’t give up entirely.

Rusty.

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