El Arenal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board, but don't get your hopes up too high just yet. We’re looking at a patchy, mostly average run at El Arenal (sandbar) over the next couple of weeks with only two real standouts worth making a plan for.

The pattern for most of this stretch is dominated by persistent cross-onshore winds, chewing up what swell we get. For the first five days, from Saturday the 12th through Wednesday the 16th, it’s a write-off. Lots of choppy, poor surf with cross-onshore breezes and swell energy that barely gets going – combined energy values sit between 130 and 373, so we're talking weak to moderate energy at best.

A quiet window opens on Monday morning, the 14th. The wind goes glassy, and there’s 4ft of swell from the NNE at a short period of 8 seconds. The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s clean for a brief moment, but the swell is small and short-period. That’s your first real look, but it’s not a standout.

After that, the wind swings back onshore and we drift into a long, flat spell. From Tuesday the 15th through Saturday the 19th, the swell drops to 2ft - 2ft, and then Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th see a bump to 6ft - 7ft, but it’s all under cross-onshore chop. Combined energy hits 459 - 881, so there’s moderate to strong energy there, but the quality is shot. Frankly, with that wind and a sandbar set-up, this looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday morning the 20th brings the first true standout. Glassy conditions again, with 5ft of swell from the north at 9 seconds. Combined energy is 377 – moderate – but with glassy wind and clean conditions, this is the best morning of the first week. Expect some company though; crowds are sometimes an issue here.

Now, for the real highlight. Tuesday morning the 22nd of September is your best bet by a long shot. We’ve got clean, cross-offshore wind from the ENE at 9 mph, and a solid 4ft groundswell from the NNW with a very long period of 14 seconds. Combined energy hits 676 – strong energy. That long period will really make the sandbar work, shaping up clean, lined-up waves. This is the one to circle. It's a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it, but it’s promising.

After that, the wind turns onshore again for Wednesday and Thursday, with small, weak swell through to the end of the outlook on the 27th. The last few days drop to 1ft - 2ft and energy sinks below 100. No real surf to speak of.

So, to sum it up: Sunday the 20th is a decent, clean session. Tuesday the 22nd is the standout – go chase that.

Rusty.

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