Terra Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be real about this: we’ve got a 16-day window ahead, and for the first week and a half, it’s gonna be a grind. The surf is small, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, and the conditions are just plain poor. There’s a bright spot way out there, but you’ll need patience.

The first decent surf isn’t even on the radar until well into the first week. From Friday afternoon, July 31st, through the whole first week of August, it’s a desert. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2 ft to 3 ft, with a very short period. The wind is on it from the WSW or SW, and the waves are just messy. The only real story is the water temperature – at Terra Mar on Friday afternoon, July 31st, the water is sitting at 76°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s weirdly warm, and it’s the only thing that’s a bit out of the ordinary.

We’ll have a stretch of roughly 10 days with no real surf to get excited about. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 200 (479) at best, but it’s all wind-swell junk.

Then, finally, things get a little interesting. On Friday morning, August 7th, we see a proper long-period groundswell start to fill in. The swell jumps to 2 ft from the SSW, but the period is 19 seconds – that’s a very long period swell. The combined energy climbs to 447, which is moderate. But here’s the rub: the wind is still onshore from the SW. It’s poor surf conditions, so you’re not getting a clean wave. This long-period energy is better suited for a point break or reef, and Terra Mar is a point. But with that wind, it’s going to be bumpy. The next few days, August 8th through 10th, keep that same theme: 2 ft to 3 ft, 15-17 second period, but the wind stays onshore or cross-on. It’s frustrating because the energy is there, but the quality isn’t.

The true standout – and the only one worth marking on your calendar – is Saturday morning, August 15th. Swell is 3 ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, and the wind finally drops to a light breeze from the west, making it just a light cross-onshore with small wind ripples. That’s the cleanest the window gets. The combined energy is 448. This is the one morning where the waves might actually have a clean face and a bit of push. It’s still not huge, but for this region, it’s the best on offer. The water is still warm, but by then most of the crowd will be tired of the wait. Get on it early.

Later that afternoon, the wind picks back up to a gentle breeze, and the quality drops. So, the call is: suffer through the first week, don’t even bother until the 7th, and then circle Saturday the 15th morning. It’s a long-range hope, but it’s the only real hope we’ve got.

Rusty.

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