Barceloneta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. Looking at the next couple of weeks, it’s a tough watch for us at Barceloneta. The ocean is just not cooperating. We’re staring down a long, flat spell with the wave energy sitting at zero for days on end. It’s a real bummer, especially with that warm water we’ve got. The water temp is sitting at 84.9°, which is a solid 5.9° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a proper anomaly, doesn’t get much more unusual than that. But it’s not doing us any favors for surfing.

We’re looking at a serious gap here. From now until the 18th, there’s just nothing. The swell energy is completely dead, reading a big fat zero [0]. You’d be better off finding a pool or a lake, because the Med is flat as a pancake. A few of those mornings are glassy, which would be perfect if there were waves, but there just aren't any.

The first sign of life doesn’t come until Tuesday the 18th, and even then, it’s a tease. We get a 1ft swell with a weak 4-second period, and the energy is practically nothing [5]. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it'll be a bit lumpy. Wednesday looks cleaner with a light cross-offshore wind, but the swell is down to 0.3ft. It’s all just enough to get your hopes up before crushing them.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd stays marginal. A few ankle-high sloppy waves, with energy readings in the 30s and 50s, but the period is short and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. It’s going to be choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate for a splash.

We finally see a more promising window starting Tuesday the 25th. The wind turns offshore from the northwest at 9 mph, cleaning things up, but the swell is still small at 1.3ft with a short 6-second period. It’s clean, but with not much push.

The real standout, as far as it goes, is the 29th of August. That Saturday morning, we finally get some swell. The models are showing a jump to 4.3ft from the ESE, and the energy is the highest we’ve seen all period – a solid moderate 151. The period is only 7 seconds, so it’s a bit short-period, not a groundswell, but it’s the most power we’ve had. The wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph, which will keep it from being perfect, but it’s the only day with any real size to it. The swell direction from the ESE is also more favorable for this spot. For a beginner, 4.3ft might be pushing it a bit, but for a party wave, it’s on. It’s still a fair way out, so while it looks promising, it’s not locked in yet. Keep your fingers crossed, because before that, it's a whole lot of nothing. The 30th still has some decent 2.6ft swell, but the onshore wind will chop it up.

There’s a chance of this run ending sooner, but as it stands, Saturday the 29th is the one to keep an eye on. It’s going to be a long wait.

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