El Balneario Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for El Balneario over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a tough outlook. We’ve got a long gap of pretty much nothing worthwhile to start with. From now through to the morning of August 7th, the conditions are pretty much a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and the wind is onshore, blowing straight from the west or west-southwest, making a mess of things. The wave energy is weak too, with readings sitting below 100 during that stretch. You’d be fighting a losing battle out there.

The first glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Friday, August 7th. We get a bit of a reprieve with a light easterly breeze putting a cross-offshore angle on it. The swell is small at 2 ft from the west, but it’s surfable. The wave energy is still low at 41, so it’s not going to be setting the world on fire, but it’s a chance to get wet. After that, it goes back to onshore junk for another week.

Then, things start to look a little more interesting heading into the weekend of August 15th. The standout period is Saturday, August 15th. Morning sees a fresh easterly breeze at 19 mph blowing straight offshore, which is a massive plus for clean faces. The swell pushes up to 4 ft from the west, and the wave energy climbs into moderate territory at 138. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The swell direction (W) is a good match for the optimum (WSW), so the break should be working well. With that offshore wind, it’ll be clean and lined up, but keep in mind, at that size, beginners might find it a bit of a handful. It’s a beginner-friendly break normally, but 4 ft with an offshore breeze can have some punch.

Sunday August 16th is a solid follow-up with the same fresh easterly offshore wind, but the swell drops a little to 3 ft. It’s still clean, but that Saturday is the peak.

For the more experienced crew, there’s a notable moment on Friday morning, August 14th. The wind goes glassy—dead calm—which is magic for conditions. The swell is only 3 ft from the west with an 8-second period, and the energy is weak at 82. It’ll be tiny and clean, perfect for a log or a funboard, but not for any serious juice.

Overall, don’t bother paddling out until August 7th. The best bets are clearly Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, with Saturday taking the crown thanks to that bigger swell and clean offshore wind. The water temp anomaly is a notable -2°C, meaning the water at El Balneario is running much colder than usual for this time of year at 70°F. So bring a decent spring suit or a steamer, depending on your tolerance.

Rusty.

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