Stela Maris Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Stela Maris. The outlook over the next sixteen days is a tough one. We’ve got plenty of swell on the charts, but the wind just won’t play ball for most of it, leaving us with a whole lot of "poor surf conditions" on the board. The only real window that offers anything surfable is a brief period around the 26th of July, and even that is marginal.

The combined wave energy for the first few days is moderate to strong, with values like 405 (moderate) on Monday, 20th July, building to 656 (strong) that afternoon, and peaking around 588 (strong) on Tuesday, 21st July. Swell hangs around 6 ft to 7 ft from the ESE with a short period of 8 seconds – that’s a lot of wind-slop, not a groundswell. The onshore wind from the SE and ESE, blowing 15 to 25 km/h (9 to 16 mph), means it’s blown out and choppy. Not one for the log. For the first week, there’s nothing here for a paddle surfer; the persistent onshore wind and poor surf quality make this look more interesting for a kite surfer than anyone with a surfboard.

The water temperature sits at 79°F, which is about average for the time of year with a tiny anomaly of +0.9°F.

Now, the only real break in the clouds comes on Sunday, the 26th of July. The morning shows a drop in swell to 3 ft from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy drops to 90 (weak). But the wind shifts to a light NNE breeze at 10 km/h (6 mph), giving us a cross-offshore wind. That’s the only time in the forecast where the wind is not directly onshore, and the guidance says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s small, weak, and the break is inconsistent, but if you’re desperate, it’s the only clean-ish window. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions. The swell stays small, the wind turns back onshore, and the forecast is largely a write-off until the end of the period. The second week is a grim read: the same story of ESE onshore winds and small, weak swell. There’s a spike in combined energy on the 1st of August (426 – strong) and 2nd of August (480 – strong), but those are from a short-period SE windswell, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. Not a single standout session in that whole stretch.

So, to sum it up: the only sliver of hope is the morning of Sunday, 26th July. It’s not classic, but it’s the only chance for a few clean, small waves. Everything else is a kite-surfing special.

Rusty.

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