El Brusco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

That's a long stretch of flat and messy surf – nothing worth paddling out for until the 20th. A solid week of small, weak, poor waves kicks things off, with light winds and onshore chop making it feel even worse. The water’s running much warmer than usual, though, at about 74°F, which is 4°F above the norm for this time of year – a nice little perk if you’re just having a splash.

The first real sign of life shows up on the morning of Thursday, August 20th, at El Brusco (La Libertad). It’s tiny – only 2ft of west-northwest swell with an 11-second period – but it’s glassy and clean. The energy is weak, hitting 118, so you’ll be hunting for any ripple that comes through. It’s surfable, but just barely.

Then we’re back in the dumps. The 21st has some glassy moments but the swell is weak and small. The 22nd and 23rd are more of the same, light winds and poor surf. The 24th bumps up to 3ft, but the period drops to 7 seconds and the energy is still low – not a classic. The 25th is similar, and the 26th sees it push to 4ft in the morning, but the afternoon jumps to 6ft with a short 6-second period, and it’s poor conditions.

Now, the standout. Thursday, August 27th, the morning is the one. The swell eases to 5ft, but the period is a cleaner 9 seconds, coming from the northwest – right in the sweet spot for this break. The wind is light and offshore, leaving it glassy and clean. Energy is solid at 268. This is your best chance for a proper surf in the whole 16 days. It’s an advanced wave, fairly consistent, so don’t be a hero if you’re not up to it.

Batten down the hatches for the end of the window. Friday the 28th sees a big jump – 7ft in the morning, 8ft by the afternoon, with the period stretching out to 11 and 12 seconds. But the wind is howling out of the west and north-west at 22-25 mph, making it lumpy and cross-shore. The energy is massive – 897 and 1333 – but it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess.

Saturday the 29th gets properly huge. We’re talking 12ft of northwest swell with a 14-second period, and energy off the charts at 4078. That’s way too much for El Brusco. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it’s borderline dangerous. With moderate cross-shore winds and rain, this looks more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day.

So there you have it. The 27th morning is your standout, no question. Everything else is either a grind or a washout. That late-swell spike has plenty of power, but it’s just too much of a good thing for this spot.

Rusty.

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