CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Port San Luis, CA Daily Water Report — August 27, 2026

Today is a classic late-summer swing day at Port San Luis — high marks for diving and wildlife watching, but the afternoon wind will test your patience on anything slow. If you’re choosing one activity, make it an early-morning dive: the water is running 16.6°C, a full 3.4 degrees above average, and the light northwest swell at 0.9 meters from 292 degrees is holding a clean 8.6-second period. That combination with light north wind at 6 knots pushes the diving score to 8 out of 10, a hair better than yesterday’s 7.9 and on par with the 8.3 we saw two days ago. Wildlife enthusiasts should also take note: an 8.4 score reflects the moon phase and timing, with minor and major solunar periods bracketing dawn and lunchtime. The catch is the breeze. The representative wind is gentle at 6 knots from the north, but it will build through the afternoon, gusting toward 18 knots by 6 p.m. That kills the kayaking score at 4.9 and drops boating to 6.6 — fine for a powered run, but not the glassy morning the 2.9-knot day on August 25 delivered when kayaking hit 7.7. Surfing holds at 7.5, respectable given the 1.38-meter average wave height and clean swell direction, though if you compare with the 8.3 score on August 25, you’ll notice today’s waves carry more wind chop. The calmest sea state arrives near 8 p.m. at 1.32 meters, but the dying light will limit your window. Heading into the weekend, a shift is coming. Friday’s air temperature could hit 35°C, and the wind may reach 18.4 knots, so get out early. By Saturday, temperatures drop 10 degrees and waves build toward 2 meters with a longer-period swell, which should sharpen the surf forecast. Monday and Tuesday look like the real reset: wave heights fall below 1.3 meters, wind drops into single digits, and the swell subsides to under a meter — those are the days to save for offshore plans. Best bet: get in the water at sunrise while the north wind is just a breath and the afternoon remains a distant threat.