Scorpion Bay (San Juanico) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Scorpion Bay (San Juanico). This is a classic point break, but it’s a fickle beast – it’s inconsistent and rarely breaks, so when it does, you don’t snooze. The start of the run is a bit slow, but there’s a solid window of swell coming.

It starts off pretty quiet. Tuesday the 1st of September has a small 2ft SSW swell with a 13-second period, but the wind is a light cross-shore, so it’s not clean. The afternoon picks up a light offshore breeze and a 3ft swell, but it’s still small. Wednesday morning the 2nd is a write-off with a cross-onshore wind and a 2ft swell. The afternoon sees a clean offshore wind again, but the swell is still tiny at 2ft. The real kicker comes on Thursday the 3rd. The morning has a 3ft SSW groundswell with an 18-second period – that’s proper long-period energy (combined energy of all swells directed here is 1023). The wind is light cross-shore, but the afternoon is where it’s at: a 4ft SW swell, still 18 seconds, and a clean moderate offshore wind. That’s excellent surf for experienced surfers. The water temperature is about average for the time of year.

Friday the 4th of September sees a big jump in size. The morning is a messy 8ft S swell, with a cross-onshore wind making it choppy. The afternoon has a 10ft S swell, but the wind is cross-shore and the wave comment flags it as marginal. This is big, with a combined energy of 6912, but the quality isn’t there for paddle surfing. For a point break, that much swell with a short 14-second period and cross-shore wind is a handful. It might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Saturday the 5th stays big, with 10ft and 8ft swells, but the wind remains cross-shore or cross-onshore, so the quality is lacking.

Sunday the 6th is the standout. The morning has a 8ft SW swell with a 12-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, making it clean. The afternoon is even better: a 7ft SW swell, an offshore wind, and the wave comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” (combined energy 1407). This is the best on offer – a solid, clean swell at the point. It’s big, over 8ft, so this is only for experts. The crowd profile says “always,” so expect company at the point.

After that, it drops off. Monday the 7th has a 6ft SW swell, but the wind is a fresh offshore, which is clean but a bit strong. The rest of the week and into the second week sees the swell drop back to 2ft to 3ft, with mostly clean offshore winds. From Tuesday the 8th of September through to Wednesday the 16th, the surf is small and ordinary. There’s a long gap of poor to marginal conditions. The combined energy drops to 169 or 161, which is very weak. It’s a classic case of a fickle spot going quiet. The second week is a write-off for any real quality.

So, to sum it up: Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon is the first real taste of good, clean, long-period swell. But the absolute standout is Sunday the 6th of September – both morning and afternoon offer solid, clean waves for experienced surfers at Scorpion Bay. Get on it if you’re an expert, because it’s a rare one.

Rusty.

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