Stela Maris Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at the next 16 days for Stela Maris. I gotta be straight with you—this stretch is a tough one. The forecast is pretty grim for most of the run, with onshore or cross-onshore winds and choppy, lumpy conditions dominating the first week. The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is about 1° warmer than average for this time of year, so nothin’ too wild there.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Friday morning, August 14th. We’ve got a clean, glassy morning with a light north wind at 3 mph, blowing cross-offshore. The swell is a small 3 ft from the SSE, with a long period of 13 seconds, so there’s some proper groundswell energy in the water (combined energy of 372). That’s not huge, but it’s the best we’ll see all week, and the wave energy is moderate. Stela Maris is exposed to the south, so that SSE direction is a good match. The difficulty is intermediate, and crowds are often here, so you won’t be alone if you paddle out. It’s consistent, so you’ll get waves. Just keep in mind the water is a bit warmer than usual.

After that Friday morning window, it’s back to crummy conditions. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are mostly onshore or cross-on with small, messy surf. The swell stays small, mostly under 3 ft, with periods around 11-14 seconds, but the wind is a killer. The combined energy does spike to 574 on Sunday morning, but with moderate cross-onshore chop, it’s just not clean.

The rest of the second week into late August is a real desert. From Monday the 17th all the way through to Wednesday the 26th, every session is rated poor surf conditions. Winds are almost always onshore or cross-on, swell is tiny (2 ft to 4 ft), and periods are short—mostly 7 to 9 seconds. The combined energy drops way down to around 100-200, so there’s just not much power. There’s a little bump on the 22nd with a 14-second period swell, but the wind is cross-on and choppy, so it’s not worth getting excited about.

If you’re a beginner, those 7 ft to 8 ft days on Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are too big and messy, plus the wind is strong. For experts, even the bigger days are poor quality because of the onshore wind. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during those windy, lumpy periods.

So, bottom line: Friday morning, August 14th, is the only standout. Get it while it’s clean. After that, it’s a long wait with no real options. Given the forecast, it’s a lean run, but Stela Maris is consistent, so it won’t stay this bad forever. Check back in a few days.

Rusty.

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