El Anclote Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

The first half of the run is where the action is, with a solid pulse of groundswell from the SW filtering in on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th. After that, it steadily fades, and the second week is a real struggle to find anything worth paddling out for.

Things kick off proper on Tuesday morning, July 28th, at El Anclote. This reef break is super consistent, and it’s handling a 3 ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and with a combined energy reading of 641 (moderate), it’s got some push. The wind is a light 3 mph from the NE, clean as a whistle, cross-off, giving you those smooth, lined-up faces. The water is a balmy 89°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be in boardies for sure. Tuesday afternoon stays clean with WNW wind, but the swell drops a touch to 3 ft. This is the standout window – the morning is the pick.

Wednesday the 29th has a similar story. The morning gets a little cross-on with an easterly breeze, but it’s still surfable. The afternoon cleans right back up with a WSW cross-off wind and 2 ft swell. The energy is still decent (321-408), so if you missed Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon is your next best bet.

Thursday the 30th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is glassy – flat calm, no wind – but the swell has dropped to 2 ft and the period is down to 14 seconds. The combined energy is 238, moderate. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The afternoon turns poor with a cross-shore wind and chop.

From Friday the 31st onwards, the swell continues to shrink. By the weekend of August 1st and 2nd, we’re looking at 1 ft to 2 ft swell with combined energy dropping below 100. It’s clean most of the time, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. The crowds at El Anclote can be a thing sometimes, but with surf this small, it’ll be quiet.

The second week, from August 3rd through the 12th, is a real desert. The swell never gets above 2 ft, and the energy readings are mostly in the double digits or low triple digits – weak. There’s a little bump of 2 ft on the 11th and 12th with a nice long period, but the energy is still only moderate (176-178). The wind is often clean or offshore, but the wave size just isn’t there for a proper session. It’s a long stretch of small, unremarkable surf. The 20-second period on the 10th is interesting, but with only 1 ft, it’s a whisper, not a wave. A beach break in these conditions would be a total flat spell, but at a reef like El Anclote, you might find a slinky little wave if you’re desperate.

Overall, the best on offer is clearly Tuesday morning, July 28th. That’s the one. After that, it’s a slow, steady decline into a long, flat spell. Don’t expect much from the second week.

Rusty.

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