El Balneario Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the cards for El Balneario over the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to be straight with you from the get-go – it’s a pretty grim picture. Mostly flat, with some tricky winds and only a whisper of hope way down the line. We’ve got a big gap of nothing useful to start, so don’t rush to wetsuit up just yet.

The whole period kicks off with a blank. From Monday afternoon through Saturday afternoon, there are multiple days with no surf at all or just tiny, unrideable bumps. The combined energy is a big fat zero for much of that time, and when a little pulse tries to show up midweek, the wind is howling onshore from the west at up to 12 mph, making a mess of the 2 ft short-period slop. That’s not surf, that’s just chop.

We finally start to see some life on Saturday morning, 26 September. The swell direction turns west-northwest, with a period of 11 seconds and combined wave energy creeping up to 28 (weak). It’s still tiny at 1.0 ft, but the wind is offshore from the east at a manageable 16 mph, which will clean things up. It’s not a standout, but if you’re desperate for a splash, the morning might offer a few knee-high rollers.

The best chance we get – and I say this with a heavy heart because it’s not great – lands on Sunday, 27 September. The morning sees a glassy session with a slight offshore breeze from the west-southwest at just 3 mph. Swell height bumps up to 3 ft from the west, period short at 6 seconds, and the combined energy is 81 (weak). The water temperature is 67°, which is a whopping 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so expect a proper chill when you get out. The waves will be soft and weak, but glassy and clean conditions mean a beginner could have some fun on a longboard. The afternoon, though, gets worse as an onshore breeze kicks in.

After that, Monday the 28th sees a bigger pulse of energy – 4 ft from the west-southwest with a period of 9 seconds and a combined energy of 373 (moderate). But it’s blown out by a moderate onshore westerly at 12 mph, so it’s a write-off. The rest of the forecast goes downhill again into tiny, blown-out leftovers.

Honestly, the only real standout in the whole 16-day window is that glassy Sunday morning, 27 September, at El Balneario. It’s a beginner-friendly break and fairly consistent, but the swell is weak and short-period, so don’t expect any power. For the experts, there’s nothing here worth paddling out for. Given the persistent strong offshore winds later in the period and the messy, weak swell, this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Stay tuned, forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a tough run.

Rusty.

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