El Barco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board and let’s talk shop. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for El Barco for the next couple of weeks. Straight up, it’s gonna be a mixed bag, and you’re gonna have to pick your moments.

Right out of the gate, we've got a bit of a lull. For the first few days, there’s some small swell showing, but the wind is just a mess – mostly cross-onshore and choppy. You’ll see waves on Saturday the 15th, with a 4ft easterly swell, but it’s short-period, messy stuff, not worth getting excited about. The 16th has a cleaner 3ft wave, but it’s still pretty ordinary. Honestly, it's a waiting game.

The middle of next week is a write-off. Monday and Tuesday bring light rain and a lot of onshore wind. The swell is small and junky. We’re not looking at any quality rides here.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Around Friday the 21st, a proper pulse of windswell starts to show up. By Saturday the 22nd, we've got a solid S/SSW swell building, with the energy jumping to 817. That’s a lot of juice. The problem? The wind is going to be howling out of the WSW at 25 mph. It’s going to be messy, lumpy, and honestly, for a beach break like El Barco, that’s more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle-surfing one. You’d be fighting a losing battle.

The real standout, and I mean the only one worth circling on your calendar, is Tuesday the 25th. The swell has backed off a touch to 5ft, but that’s from the SSE with a 12-second period—real groundswell. But the kicker is the wind: a light 6 mph offshore breeze from the NE. That’s as clean as it gets around here. The energy is still moderate at 497, but with that offshore wind, El Barco (Big Island) is going to have some shape to it. The water temp is sitting at 52°, which is about average for the time of year, so you won’t need a crazy thick suit, but a hood is never a bad idea. This is the day. If you can only get one session in over these two weeks, this is it. It’ll be a bit inconsistent, so bring your patience, but the waves will be worth it.

After that, we drift back into mediocrity. The end of the month sees a lot of onshore slop and building windswell again, but with poor winds. Friday the 28th looks particularly junky with a 8ft ESE swell but a fresh onshore breeze. It’s all a bit of a chore.

So, final call: There’s a dry spell for the first week, and the only real highlight is that Tuesday the 25th morning. It’s promising, a nice clean window in an otherwise rough stretch. After that, it’s back to dealing with the usual onshores. Keep your expectations low for the long run, and be ready to move when that window opens.

Rusty out.

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