El Burro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day window is a tough one for El Burro. I’ve looked long and hard at what’s on offer, and to be honest, there’s nothing that’s gonna get the heart racing. The whole period is a write-off for quality surf. The swell’s coming from the wrong direction, the wind’s always a problem, and the energy is weak.

Let’s walk through it. Starting out, Tuesday the 4th of August, we’ve got a 5ft swell from the NE at a short 7 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore at 12 mph. The combined energy is only 301 – that’s moderate, but it’s all messy. The water is sitting at 73°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year. This is a sheltered reef break, but with the wind and wind state, it’s just choppy and poor.

Wednesday the 5th pushes up to 6ft from the NE, but the wind jumps to 16 mph cross-onshore again. The energy hits 560, but it’s all blown out. Thursday and Friday drop down in size, from 4ft to 3ft, with the wind staying cross and strong. The energy dribbles down to 80 by Friday afternoon. It’s a sad stretch.

The weekend and into the next week is more of the same. Saturday the 8th has a 3ft NE swell with a 9-second period – the best period of the whole run, but with 16 mph cross wind and only 125 energy, you’re just getting a bumpy, weak wave. Sunday the 9th through Tuesday the 11th sees the wind pick up to 19 mph, with 3ft to 4ft swells. The energy is between 134 and 98. It’s lumpy, cross-shore junk.

There is one tiny glimmer on Thursday the 13th in the morning. The swell hits 6ft from the NNE, period 8 seconds, and the wind drops to a light breeze at 6 mph, cross-onshore. The energy jumps to 404. It’s described as “marginal” with questionable tide conditions. The wind is light, so there will be small wind ripples, but it’s still cross-onshore. The size is over 5ft, so it’s a bit much for beginners, but not big enough for experts only. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but that’s not saying much.

After that, we get a bit of a drop, then Saturday the 15th morning brings a 7ft swell from the NNE, 8 seconds, with 761 energy. That’s a solid wall of water, but again, the wind is cross at 9 mph, and the wave comment says “poor.” Over 8ft would be for experts only, but at 7ft it’s just big, messy, and not clean. The week after that fades into tiny 2ft to 4ft swells with weak energy and poor conditions.

There is a brief moment on the 18th of August, Tuesday morning and afternoon, where the wind goes cross-off and the state is “clean.” But the swell is a pathetic 3ft with a period of only 4 seconds and energy of 30. That’s a lake, not a wave.

So, the honest truth: there is no standout session here. The entire 16 days is a gap of poor quality. The break is inconsistent, and this run proves it. This is a spot that needs a clean ENE swell with offshore wind, and we’re getting the opposite. For the crew that like to kite, the setup on the 15th with 7ft and cross wind might be more interesting than a paddle. But for a surf, I’d say save your energy and wait for a better window.

Rusty.

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