El Balneario Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me break it down for you. The boys are calling me Rusty, and here’s how it’s looking for the next couple of weeks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this forecast is a proper struggle. We’re looking at a blank run for the first couple of weeks. From Wednesday the 15th of July right through until the morning of Saturday the 25th of July, there’s just nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore, and the surf quality is being described as poor. It’s a long, flat spell where the best thing you can do is sort out your gear or go for a paddle to stay loose.

The first real sign of life shows up on the morning of Saturday the 25th of July at El Balneario. The swell finally bumps up to 4 ft from the WNW with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 181. The water temp is sitting at 71°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The wind is from the WSW at 9 mph and straight onshore, so it’s not going to be glassy. It’s still marked as poor surf conditions, but it’s the first time we’ve seen any real push. If you’re desperate, you could probably find a few lumpy ones, but don’t expect any magic.

The standout of the whole run, if you can call it that, is the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. The swell is 4 ft from the west, period is still short at 7 seconds, but the combined energy gets up to a strong 254. The wind is cross-onshore at 16 mph, though, so it’s going to be choppy and a bit of a mess. That’s about as good as it gets for the experts who don’t mind a rough surface. Beginners should definitely stay out of the water that day – it’s not for them.

Honestly, if you’re looking for clean, glassy conditions, we don’t really get any until the very end of the forecast. On the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July, the wind finally swings offshore from the east at 9 mph, and the surf is described as gentle offshore and clean. The problem is, the swell is only 0.7 ft, with a combined energy of just 3. It’s barely a ripple. The same goes for Thursday the 30th of July – offshore winds again, but the swell is only 2 ft to 2 ft. It’s clean as a whistle, but you’ll be waiting for the odd knee-high set.

So, bottom line: this is a tough period for El Balneario. There’s no big swell, no proper groundswell, and the windows of clean surf come with virtually no waves. Keep an eye on the longer-range stuff, because it tends not to stay this poor for long, but for now, your best bet is to wait for the offshore winds to line up with a bit more size. That Saturday the 26th of July is the only real pulse of energy, but it’s a messy one.

Rusty.

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