El Camotal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks. This stretch is shaping up to be a rough one for surfers, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Right off the bat, we've got a long, grim run. From Wednesday the 9th of September all the way through to Monday the 14th of September, the conditions at El Camotal are just plain ugly. The wind is hammering in from the SSW, sitting cross-onshore and kicking up a choppy mess. The swell energy is weak to moderate, with the combined energy reading 814 on that first Wednesday afternoon, but it's all wasted. The waves are around 3ft to 4ft, coming from the southwest with a solid 15 to 16-second period, which usually means decent lines, but that onshore wind is just destroying any chance of a clean wave. For a beginner-friendly spot, the water is a very unusual 69°F, which is 5° warmer than normal for this time of year. Honestly, for the first several days, this is a stay-at-home situation.

We finally get a tiny shift around Monday the 14th of September in the afternoon. The wind eases up a little, and the "poor surf" label changes to "marginal," scoring a 1 out of 10. Tuesday the 15th morning also just scrapes a 1/5 rating. Even then, the wind is still cross-onshore, though lighter. The swell sits around 3ft to 4ft from the southwest, with a period holding around 15 to 16 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (588 and 607 on those two sessions). It's barely rideable, but you'd be fighting the chop. It’s the only flicker of possibility in a long dark tunnel.

After that brief tease, from Tuesday afternoon (15 Sep) all the way to the end of the forecast on the 24th of September, it reverts back to "poor surf conditions" and zero ratings. We see a couple of isolated "on" wind states on Monday the 21st and Wednesday the 23rd, but the swell is tiny – 2ft to 2ft – and the energy is low. The very last day, Thursday the 24th of September afternoon, the combined swell energy jumps to 410, and the period hits a very long 21 seconds, with a 2ft swell from the southwest. That long period with such a tiny wave is a tease; it might show as clean lines but with no real push. Still, it’s all under cross-onshore winds.

The Bottom Line: There's no standout session here, not even close. The best out of this entire 16-day window are the two "marginal" slots on Monday the 14th (afternoon) and Tuesday the 15th (morning). If you're absolutely jonesing, those are your only shots, but expect messy, choppy waves. For everyone else, the forecast looks better for kites than for paddle surfing given the persistent cross-onshore wind and poor quality of the surf. It's a dud run.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

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