Stela Maris Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie and listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Stela Maris for the next couple of weeks, and honestly, it’s a bit of a tough stretch. We’ve got a whole lot of nothing good on the menu, so let’s just get into it.

The outlook for the next 16 days is pretty bleak, with no real surfable waves on the horizon. We’re looking at a solid run of poor conditions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a blank stretch for the entire first week and into the second. There’s a bit of swell around, but it’s mostly short-period, wind-blown junk from the east and southeast that’s going to keep things messy. Honestly, the first week looks like a write-off.

Let’s walk through it. Tuesday the 18th kicks things off with an ESE swell of 5ft, but the wind is a cross-on 25 km/h, and the water’s going to be chopped up. The energy is moderate at 566, but the surf quality is just poor. The water temp is 79°, which is about average for this time of year, but that’s where the good news ends. As we head into Wednesday and Thursday, the swell stays around 5ft to 6ft, but it’s still mostly onshore, and the quality isn't coming back. We’re looking at moderate energy readings between 288 and 400, but that doesn't translate to anything rideable.

Friday the 21st sees the swell ease a touch to 4ft, with a lighter ENE breeze in the morning. But it’s still cross-on, and the period is a short 8 seconds. By Saturday the 22nd, the swell drops right off to 2ft, and while the wind is a bit lighter, it's crossed up. The energy drops to 111, which is weak. This is where I’d say, unless you’re desperate for a splash, don't waste your time. The trend continues through the rest of the month. There’s a slight bump around the 25th, but we’re still looking at short-period ESE swells around 3ft.

The second week continues in the same vein. From the 26th into the 1st of September, we’ve got a mix of onshore and cross-onshore winds, with swell heights hovering between 3ft and 4ft. The energy readings are mostly in the low to mid-100s, which is weak. The long-range stuff at the start of September looks even worse, with the swell dropping to 0.7ft and the energy bottoming out at 16. It’s all short-period, disorganized slop. The only slight improvement is that on Friday the 28th, the wind is a bit lighter in the morning, but it’s still cross-onshore and more than likely, it will be closing out and bumpy.

Honestly, for the whole 16 days, there are no standouts. There’s nothing that gets the heart racing. Looking at the consistency, the break itself is marked as 'consistent', which means it does produce, but the forecast conditions are just so poor that it’s not going to happen. This is the kind of run where you’re better off checking the cams every day, because forecasts can change, but as it stands, I’d be finding something else to do. With all that onshore wind and short-period swell, this set-up looks more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers. I’m not going to sugar-coat it. It’s a frustrating outlook.

So, keep the boards in the car, but maybe don't bother waxing them up just yet. This one’s a dud. We’ll get them next time.

Rusty, out.

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