Terra Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s coming down the pike for Terra Mar.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you—the first week is a bit of a grind. We’ve got a long stretch from Friday, July 17th, all the way through to Wednesday, July 22nd, where the surf is just poor. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is way too weak to get excited about. It’s a real quiet spell.

We start to see a glimmer of hope on Sunday morning, July 19th, when the swell bumps up to 3ft from the SW with a long 17-second period. The combined energy hits 614 (moderate), but the wind is still onshore. It’s marginal at best, and surf quality is a tough sell. This pattern of marginal, cross-onshore, or onshore wind continues right through the week. The combined energy does climb, hitting 956 on Sunday afternoon, July 19th, and up to 780-950 on Monday, July 20th, but the wind is never clean. It’s a waiting game.

Now, the real standout arrives on Saturday, July 25th. This is the one to circle on the calendar. We’re looking at solid 6ft to 7ft of SSW groundswell with a 16-second period. The combined energy is massive—2332 on Saturday morning and 2123 on the afternoon (that’s strong wave energy). The wind is light and onshore from the SW, but here’s the kicker: the optimum swell direction for Terra Mar is WSW, and this is coming from the SSW, so it’s not a perfect match, but the size and power are undeniable. The wave comment says marginal, but with this much juice, it’s going to be big and powerful. Because it’s over 5ft, it’s not for beginners, and at 7ft, it’s pushing into expert territory. The long period (16 seconds) means those sets will have some serious push, but at a point break like Terra Mar, that’s actually a good thing—it’ll line up nicely.

The following week shows a drop-off in size but a bit more consistency. Sunday, July 26th, to Tuesday, July 28th, sees swell around 4ft to 4ft, with periods still in the 13-19 second range. The combined energy stays moderate (1200-1500). The wind is a mix of onshore and light cross-onshore, so the surf will be a bit bumpy but still rideable. The best window in that stretch is probably Monday, July 27th, with 4ft from the SW and a 18-second period, with light onshore wind. It’s marginal, but it’s the cleanest of that bunch.

The last few days of July and into August 1st, the swell drops right back down to 2ft to 3ft, and the energy falls off a cliff (184-529). The wind is back to being onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave comment is poor. It’s back to the same quiet pattern we started with.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off, the second week has some promise but nothing clean, and the absolute standout is Saturday, July 25th. That’s the day to get on it if you’re an experienced surfer looking for some serious SSW groundswell. The water temperature is about average for the time of year here, so no surprises there.

Rusty.

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