El Barco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. It’s a bit of a slow stretch for El Barco right now, and there’s not much to get excited about for the first week. We got a bit of small, weak surf hanging around, but the winds and the swell direction just aren’t doing us any favors. The water's sitting at 54°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s something at least.

The start of the window is pretty lackluster. This Sunday afternoon the swell’s only 2ft from the east with a weak 82 combined energy, and a cross-off breeze is keeping it clean, but it’s really just not doing anything for us. Monday’s got a bit more push – 2ft – but it’s coming from the south, which is all wrong for this spot, so all we get is ordinary conditions. The wind’s cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s no power behind it.

Tuesday is more of the same – 2ft of south-southeast swell, but the wind goes onshore, so it gets a little messy. We’re just scraping by. Wednesday drops back down to 2ft, and while it’s clean with a cross-off breeze, it’s weak, weak, weak. There’s a real gap of nothing good here for days.

We do get a pulse of energy late in the week, but it’s not the right kind. Friday comes with a strong south-west wind and messes up the surface with a lumpy cross-onshore, even though the swell bumps up to 5ft. That’s not surfable, that’s just a washing machine. Saturday sees the wind drop out but the swell’s still a bit disorganized. You’d be scratching your head trying to find a wave.

Sunday the 9th, the swell starts to build – 5ft – but it’s pushed around by a fresh cross-onshore wind, and by the afternoon it’s up to 6ft and messy. The energy jumps to 251, but it’s just a wall of chop. Then Monday the 10th, this thing really fills in – we’re talking 8ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, with a strong cross-shore wind. That’s a big, stormy mess. Too big for most, messy for everyone else. Not my idea of a good time.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Tuesday the 11th rolls in with something different. The swell is still big at 7ft, but it’s swinging to the south and the period jumps to 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The wind goes cross-off and it’s clean. The energy reading is massive – 1367 – which tells you there’s real power in the water. This is the standout of the whole window. It’s a big, clean, powerful swell. It’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re an experienced surfer, this is your window. The break will be handling a lot of water, but it will be lined up and grinding. It could be too much for beginners, for sure.

Wednesday the 12th drops back a bit, with a grovelly 3ft in the morning, but the wind is light and it’s clean. There’s some fun to be had if you’re patient, but it’s nothing on the previous day. Thursday the 13th, we get another push of south-southeast swell at 5ft with a 12-second period, and the wind is a fresh cross-off – clean again. It’s got some push to it, but the energy is down to 558, so it’s more of a fun, punchy day than a bull-riding session.

Then it starts to taper off. The next few days see smaller, weaker swells, with the wind staying cross-off. Saturday the 15th has a 4ft east swell but it’s short-period, so it’ll be a bit soft. Sunday the 16th, the wind does go offshore, but again, it’s small. We’re back to ordinary.

The real call here, the one to mark on your calendar, is Tuesday the 11th. That’s the big one. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or just not worth the paddle. The second week has some cleaner days, but the size drops off. It’s a promising few weeks, but the first week is a slow burn to one hell of a Tuesday.

Rusty

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