El Barco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at El Barco for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it’s been quiet. The first few days of the forecast period at the end of August and into early September are showing tiny, weak swell with poor conditions. We’re talking flat, with swells around 0.7 ft to 2 ft, short period, and a lot of cross wind. A noticeable gap of nearly a week with no real surf on offer. Stick with the skateboard for now.

The pattern starts to shift around Wednesday, September 2nd, when we finally see a bit of life. A small, clean east swell (2 ft, with a 9-second period) pops up, and the wind turns light offshore from the NNW in the morning. It’s not big, but combined wave energy is still weak (38). Come Thursday the 3rd, we’ve got more of the same: 2 ft east swell with clean, moderate offshore winds from the NNW. The energy is still low (43), but for a quick session on a longboard, it’s a blessing.

Friday the 4th gets a little weird. The morning brings a messy cross-shore wind from the WSW at 19 mph, with a 2 ft east swell. The energy bumps up a bit but it's lumpy. By the afternoon, a new south-west swell mixes in (5 ft, 6-second period) but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 22 mph, getting lumpy with cross-chop. Not one for the shortboard.

Then things get out of hand. From Saturday the 5th through Sunday the 6th, the swell jumps up dramatically. We’re looking at a strong, short-period SSW swell building to 10 ft, but the wind goes onshore and howling at 25 mph. Combined wave energy rockets into the thousands (3727 on Sunday morning, 7233 in the afternoon). That’s a raw, messy ocean. The setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, as the beach would be blown out and dangerous.

The absolute standout is Monday, September 7th. After all that mess, the ocean cleans right up. We get a really solid 8 ft swell from the SSE with a very long 16-second period. That’s serious groundswell energy (2823). But the magic is the wind: glassy, from the north at just 3 mph. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The long period will make for powerful, well-shaped lines. Just remember, a 8 ft swell with that much juice is for experts only, and it might break a bit too straight at the beach, working better if you can find a defined peak.

Tuesday the 8th still has good leftovers: a 5 ft SSE swell (13-second period) with clean, cross-offshore winds from the NE. Combined energy is still a moderate 620, so there’s push. Good morning for the intermediate crew.

After that, it tapers off. Wednesday the 9th offers small 3 ft waves that are surfable but ordinary. The rest of the second week, from the 10th through the 14th, drops back to tiny, weak east swells with mostly cross or onshore wind. The energy levels fall right off, back into the double digits and low hundreds. There’s nothing worth chasing in that stretch.

For the best waves of the outlook, get ready for Monday, September 7th on the glassy morning. The real gem.

Rusty.

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