Surf Forecasts:
El Barco surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, SSE swell with 785 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Barco this week:
The surf forecast for El Barco over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Barco in the next 16 days are 1.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (-03) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Barco over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking.
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the first week and a half is a real bummer. From Wednesday, September 2nd, all the way through to the 12th, it’s mostly a bust. We’re looking at a lot of poor surf with weak, messy swell and onshore winds. There’s a pulse on the 7th with some solid energy (472 combined energy of all swells directed here), but the wind is straight onshore, so it’s gonna be a mess. The 8th has a tiny window of clean surf with light offshore winds, but the swell is only 3ft from the southeast, so it’s barely a ripple. This is a long stretch of very average to poor conditions, so don’t get your hopes up.
Finally, we get a glimmer of hope on Sunday, September 13th. The morning session at El Barco is the one. We’ve got clean conditions thanks to a light offshore breeze from the east-northeast, and the swell is up to 3ft coming from the south-southeast. The energy is moderate (283 combined energy of all swells directed here), and the period is a solid 11 seconds, so there’ll be some nice shape to the waves. This is the standout of the entire forecast – it’s not huge, but it’s clean and rideable. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
For the rest of the second week, Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are a bit of a mixed bag. The morning of the 15th has clean, gentle offshore winds, but the swell is weak and short period. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. After that, the wind swings onshore and gets strong again, so it’s back to the drawing board.
To sum it up: if you’re keen, your one solid shot is the morning of Sunday the 13th. Otherwise, you’re in for a long wait.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the NW by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the S by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 11 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 36 | 37 | 38 | 71 | 114 | 83 | 37 | 68 | 75 | 40 | 28 | 122 | 85 | 130 | 196 | 561 | 445 | 333 | 208 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 11:05PM0.25m | 4:37AM0.21m | 11:52PM0.23m | 5:36AM0.21m | 00:43AM0.21m | 6:37AM0.20m | 12:39PM0.39m | 1:37AM0.20m | 7:38AM0.19m | 1:38PM0.39m | 2:38AM0.19m | 8:35AM0.18m | 2:44PM0.38m | 3:42AM0.20m | 3:55PM0.36m | ||||
Low Tide | 2:06AM0.18m | 6:52AM0.18m | 7:35PM0.02m | 7:30AM0.19m | 8:28PM0.01m | 3:34AM0.15m | 9:23PM0.02m | 4:26AM0.15m | 10:22PM0.03m | 5:29AM0.15m | 11:24PM0.04m | 6:47AM0.15m | 00:28AM0.06m | ||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 6:20 | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | -1 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 4 | ESE 10 | SSW 7 | S 6 | S 6 | ESE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 36 | 37 | 38 | 71 | 114 | 83 | 16 | 21 | 75 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 333 | 208 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | — | S 7 | ESE 11 | ENE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 11 | ESE 10 | E 9 | — | — | E 8 | S 9 | SSW 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 37 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 13 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | — | WSW 5 | — | S 15 | S 14 | S 11 | E 10 | E 9 | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 3 | NW 4 | W 4 | WSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | — | — | W 3 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 21 | 68 | — | — | 6 | 122 | 85 | 130 | 196 | 561 | 445 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 79 | 1 | 164 | 237 | 0 | 31 | 925 | 671 | 912 | 524 | 419 | 225 | 421 | 6 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Uruguay - South | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Uruguay | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our El Barco surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the El Barco Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for El Barco provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Barco can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Barco surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (El Barco) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for El Barco may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Uruguay - South? If you are looking for accommodation near El Barco, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Uruguay - South, consider staying in Maldonado which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Uruguay - South where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include San Carlos which is 17 km (11 miles) away, Minas, Rocha and La Paloma.
Nearest