El Balneario Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m gonna be straight with you. This is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window for El Balneario, and honestly, it’s not a pretty picture. I don’t have a single standout day where everything clicks. The whole run is a grind, but let’s walk through it.

Right from Friday the 24th of July, we’re off to a rough start. The swell is tiny, around 3ft from the west, with a short period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is weak (43), and it’s onshore. The water is a bit colder than normal at 70° – about 3° off the average, so you’ll feel that chill. The surf is just poor.

That pattern holds through the weekend and into the following week. The swell barely gets above 3ft, and the period stays short. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping the surface messy. There’s a gap of several days here with no real surf on offer. The energy is weak, in the double digits, nothing to get excited about.

By Monday the 27th of July, the wind swings offshore, but the swell drops to almost nothing – 1ft, then 0.3ft. It’s clean, but you’d be scratching for a ride. The combined energy is just 1 or 2. That’s a long paddle for nothing.

We keep this flat spell going through the end of July. The wind is offshore and strong, but the swell is absent. On Friday the 31st of July, we see a tiny blip – 0.7ft from the west, period 9 seconds, energy 10. Still not worth a session.

Finally, on Saturday the 1st of August, things perk up just a little. The morning brings 2ft from the west with a 9-second period, and the wind is offshore. The combined energy is still moderate (106). The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s the best we’ve seen, but it’s not a classic. The next day, Sunday the 2nd of August, is similar – 2ft, west swell, offshore wind, but the energy drops back to 55. It’s rideable, but nothing special.

After that, we’re back to small, weak swells with onshore winds. The period stretches out to 11 seconds on the 6th and 7th of August, which is a longer period groundswell, but the swell height is only 2ft. At a beach break like El Balneario, that long period swell might break a bit too straight.

Then, on Saturday the 8th of August, we get a tiny glimmer. The swell is 2ft from the west, period 9 seconds, with glassy conditions. The wind is next to nothing, just a slight air. The energy is 45-46. For a beginner-friendly spot, these are the cleanest, most user-friendly conditions of the whole outlook. It’s small, but it’s the closest we get to a decent surf.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The second week offers a few marginal days, but nothing to write home about. If you’re a beginner, the 8th of August morning is your best bet – tiny, clean, and glassy. For everyone else, this forecast is a real bummer. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of it.

Stay patient, and check back – forecasts can change.

Rusty

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