El Brusco Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks.

Gotta be honest, this is a rough stretch. The whole 16-day window is a downer. There’s not a single day where the surf really comes together, and the system keeps throwing poor surf conditions at us. We’ve got a long dry spell ahead, with no proper standouts to get excited about.

Starting off, Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are a write-off. Tiny waves, no energy, and the wind is all wrong. Sunday the 19th morning goes glassy for a moment at El Brusco, with a tiny 1.0ft swell from the NW, but there’s just no push—energy is weak (21). It’s a tease, not a session.

We get a little bump in size around Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, with swell heights around 4ft to 5ft from the N, but the wind is cross-on, and the period is short (6-7 seconds). The combined energy creeps up into the moderate range (157 to 198), but the whole thing is messy and choppy. It’s the kind of surf that looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

From Wednesday the 22nd right through to the end of the month, it’s the same story. The swell direction stays mostly NNW to NW, heights bounce between 2ft and 4ft, but the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore. There’s one moment on Monday the 27th morning where the wave comment says “marginal” and the period stretches to 10 seconds, with a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy is solid (275), but it’s still not clean enough to get stoked about. It’s the closest we get to a surfable window, but it’s a long shot.

Water temp is sitting at 73°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—that’s a serious anomaly of 5°F above average. You’ll be comfortable in a shorty, but don’t expect the waves to match the warmth.

The first week of August doesn’t look any better. The swell hangs around 3ft from the NW, period drops back to 10 seconds, and the wind is still cross-on. The energy is moderate (204-216), but the quality just isn’t there.

For a spot that’s fairly consistent and for advanced surfers only, it’s a real shame. The swell direction is coming from the NW, which is in the optimum range for El Brusco, but the wind and timing never line up. This is one of those stretches where the forecast can change, so don’t lose all hope—but right now, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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