El Brusco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at this stretch of coast for a long time now. Let’s be straight with each other: the 16-day window is mostly a write-off. The first solid bit of surf worth paddling out for doesn’t kick in until the end of the first week, and even then, you’ve got to be patient.

The first real flicker happens on Saturday the 15th of August. El Brusco will see a little NW swell around 3 ft, but it’s weak—only 103 combined energy—and the period is a short 6 seconds. The morning is glassy though, with a 3 mph N wind, so it’s clean. Not much power behind it, but you’ll catch a few. Sunday the 16th is glassy early with 2 ft from the NNW, but again, tiny and short period. Not worth the drive.

The week that follows is sloppy and mostly cross-onshore, with swell heights bouncing between 2 ft and 4 ft and combined energy rarely breaking triple digits. Nothing special—just chop and closeouts. Then, on Saturday the 22nd of August, something changes. That morning, El Brusco lights up. The swell jumps to 3 ft from the NNW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is 345—moderate, real energy there. The wind is WSW at 9 mph and cross-offshore, keeping it clean. This is the standout of the whole run. The water is sitting at 73°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

But a quick heads up: that same Saturday afternoon gets messy with a much bigger 5 ft NW swell but onshore wind, so don’t oversleep and miss the morning session. Sunday the 23rd is still rideable—4 ft from the NNW, 10-second period, 327 combined energy—but the wind is cross-shore and there’s a bit of chop. Still, it’s the second best offering.

After that, it starts to fade again. There’s a bump on Tuesday the 25th of August: 5 ft from the NW, but only 6-second period, so it’s short and weak. By Wednesday the 26th, it’s back to small, onshore junk. For the most part, if you’re not out on that Saturday morning or early Sunday, you’re better off waiting for the next system.

Water temp is a touch above average—nothing wild, just a degree or two warmer than usual. No need to stress about the cold. El Brusco is an advanced break, fairly consistent, and it gets exposed to NW swells. This setup works best when the direction is NW, which is exactly what we get on the best days. Crowds can be an issue here often, so don’t expect solitude even on the small days. The spot breaks fairly often, but with the short-period junk through most of this run, it’s going to be a closeout factory unless you hit the longer-period windows.

If you’re into kiting, there are some afternoons with strong cross-shore winds and moderate swell that could be fun, but for paddle surfing, the sweet spot is narrow.

Rusty.

Read more