San Vicente Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaping up for San Vicente Rivermouth.

Honestly, I’ve got to be straight with you – this 16-day window is a mixed bag of mostly small, wind-affected waves and a long stretch of poor surf. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a solid run of tiny, weak swells, poor conditions, and only a couple of brief moments that might let you get wet. The real standout is buried way out at the end of the forecast, and it’s a long-range call that needs a bit of faith.

We start right now on Wednesday the 15th of July. Mornings are glassy with a tiny 1 ft north swell at 7 seconds, but it’s just weak – combined energy is only 14 – and the waves are barely there. The whole week through to the 21st is a slog of 1 ft to 2 ft swells, mostly short period around 5 to 7 seconds, and the wind is all over the place – cross-on, onshore, or glassy but with nothing to push. The Thursday the 16th afternoon might look glassy, but with a 2 ft north swell at 5 seconds and 18 energy, you’re just bobbing around. This is a long gap of nothing worth paddling for.

Things pick up a bit on Tuesday the 21st of July. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the north-northeast at 7 seconds in the morning, with combined energy hitting 240 (moderate). That’s a bigger wave, but the wind is cross-on from the east-northeast at 6 mph, so it’s not clean. By afternoon, it’s 6 ft at 8 seconds with 323 energy, but the wind cranks up to 12 mph cross-on, making it choppy and messy. That’s too big for beginners and not quality for intermediates – it’s more of a grunt session.

The most promising day, and the one I’d circle, is Saturday the 25th of July. Morning session looks the goods. The swell drops to 3 ft but it’s a proper groundswell from the northwest with a very long period of 12 seconds. Combined energy is a solid 245 (moderate). The wind is glassy – east-northeast at 3 mph, dead calm. That’s a rare treat. The rivermouth setup should handle that long-period groundswell well, giving you some clean, lined-up waves. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no shock there. Crowds are possible at this spot, but with the surf being small and a bit inconsistent, it might not be packed. This is the standout – the only real standout in the whole 16 days. Just keep in mind it’s over a week away, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

After that, the surf drops back into mediocrity. Sunday the 26th through the 30th sees 3 ft to 5 ft northwest swells, periods around 9 to 10 seconds, but the wind is always cross-on or onshore, and the conditions are just ordinary. Nothing worth getting excited about.

So, bottom line: if you’re desperate, there’s a tiny window on the 25th morning that could be magic. Otherwise, the gear stays in the shed.

Rusty.

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