El Barco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's coming up at El Barco.

Honestly, mate, the next couple of weeks look pretty bleak. We're staring down the barrel of a long dry spell with nothing to write home about.

For the majority of the first week, starting Wednesday the 5th of August and running through the middle of the month, it's just small, weak, and ugly. We're looking at waves under 3 feet, with weak energy (values like 48, 25, 15). The wind is all over the place – cross, cross-on, and strong – making a mess out of everything. The water temp feels about normal for this time of year, but the surf is just diabolical. There's a blip on Friday the 7th where the swell jumps to about 8 feet from the south, with a very strong combined energy (1279 and 2125), but it's being hammered by a strong, lumpy cross-wind. The call is "poor surf conditions". For a spot this exposed, that's more of a kite-surfing day than anything you'd want to paddle into.

From the 8th through the 17th of August, it's the same sorry story. Day after day of small, anemic swell and constant onshore or side-shore winds. There are a few clean moments, like the morning of the 15th (August) with a 4-foot SSE swell (656 energy) and clean cross-off winds, but even then, the quality rating is rock bottom. There's just no juice worth chasing.

Now, there is one big event on the long-range horizon, but it's a gamble. On Tuesday the 18th of August, a significant swell is due. It's a 12-foot SSW groundswell with a period of 9-10 seconds, packing very strong energy (2051 and 2698). The morning wind is a clean, light offshore from the NNW. Sounds like a dream, right? But the forecast throws a bucket of cold water on it, saying the swell is predicted to be *too big* for this break. At 12 feet, this is strictly for the hardcore crew, and even then, the break itself might just close out or turn into a washing machine. It’s a promising but uncertain long-range call. The power is there, but whether it actually works at El Barco is the big unknown.

So, the bottom line: the next week and a half is a total loss. The only card worth watching is that big south swell on the 18th, but it's a high-risk, expert-only prospect. Things can always change, but right now, I'd be looking elsewhere.

Rusty.

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