Barceloneta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at the next couple of weeks for Barceloneta. I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough period for surfers. We’ve got a 16-day window, but there is a massive gap right at the start. We don’t see any worthwhile surf until the morning of Tuesday, the 26th of August, and even then, it’s a struggle.

The overall pattern is one of extremely low energy. The swell is tiny, the periods are short, and the combined energy readings are just sad – we’re talking values like 19 (weak energy) on the 25th, and they barely climb. It’s a classic summer flat spell for this exposed beach break. Because of the lack of size and the onshore winds that pop up, this setup looks much more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most days.

Let’s walk through what little we have. The first real chance to get wet comes on Tuesday morning, August 26th. It’s glassy with a light ENE breeze, and we’ve got a tiny, 1ft SSW groundswell with a short period of 6 seconds. The water temp is about average for this time of year. It’s clean and perfect for a beginner’s log, but the energy is negligible at 19 (weak). There isn’t a standout session in this entire run.

The most promising moment, and I use that term loosely, falls on Friday morning, August 28th. We see a moderate offshore wind from the WNW, grooming a tiny 1ft ESE swell. The period stretches to 6 seconds, and the combined energy bumps up to 37 (still weak energy). It’s the cleanest window we get, with that offshore wind keeping the surface smooth. The wave size is tiny, so it’s only really good for beginners and longboarders. Barceloneta is exposed here, and that ESE direction is a bit side-ways, but clean faces are clean faces. Watch out though – the break is sometimes crowded, so even these tiny waves might have a queue.

After that, it’s pretty grim. Thursday morning, August 29th is glassy again but with waves barely 0.3ft. Then we hit a complete dead zone from Sunday, August 30th through to Wednesday, September 3rd, with most entries showing zero swell and no energy. You could skip the whole first week.

Looking into the second week, there are a few flickers of life. On Thursday afternoon, September 4th, we get a minor increase with a 1ft ENE swell pushing in with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy hits 37 (weak) again, and it’s clean in the morning but goes cross-onshore in the afternoon. It’s still tiny. The morning of Friday, September 5th offers a tiny 0.7ft E swell with a clean offshore breeze, but again, we’re talking knee-high at best.

The long-range outlook is a bit of a tease. There’s another possible window around Tuesday, September 8th, but with onshore winds and a short-period 1ft SSW swell, it doesn’t offer much to get excited about.

Essentially, we have a very long 16-day period with no proper swell. The consistency is poor, and Barceloneta is an inconsistent spot as it is. For a blank run like this, it’s more normal for the area in late summer. Forecasts can change, but right now, keep your board in the car just in case, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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