El Camotal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on the horizon for El Camotal.

First up, the water temperature is sittin’ about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The outlook's a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. The early part of the week is pretty grim – we’ve got a run of poor surf conditions with small, weak, and messy swell. The combined wave energy is weak, reading between 41 and 100, and the wind is cross-onshore, just choppin’ everything up. You’re not gonna want to paddle out on Wednesday, the 26th, or Thursday, the 27th. It’s a real struggle.

Things start to pick up a little on Friday, the 28th. The swell pushes up to 6 ft from the SW with a period of 17 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, which brings some real energy. The combined energy jumps to 1565, so there’s some kick in the water. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is still cross-onshore and the surf quality is only marginal. It’s not clean, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far. Saturday morning, the 29th, sees a similar story with 7 ft SW swell, but again, that cross-onshore wind is a buzzkill. This swell is getting into the territory where it’s a bit much for beginners, and the messy conditions mean it’s only really for the keen crew.

The following week gets a bit more interesting. Thursday, the 4th of September, and Friday, the 5th, have some solid SW swell in the 5 ft to 6 ft range, with periods around 15-16 seconds. The energy is moderate, around 1200-1400. Still, that cross-onshore wind is a persistent problem, leaving things a bit choppy. The standout in the entire run looks like Tuesday, the 8th of September. The morning session has a 5 ft SW swell with a 16-second period, and the wind is finally onshore, not cross-onshore. Combined energy is a solid 1519. It’s still only marginal surf quality, but with that long-period groundswell and a cleaner wind angle, it’s the best chance for a decent wave. The swell direction out of the SW is a good match for the optimum direction from the NW, so it’ll wrap in there nicely. Keep in mind though, at 5 ft, it’s a bit punchy for the groms.

After that, the swell drops off again in the second week, with a return to smaller, weaker surf and that pesky cross-onshore wind. Overall, it’s a slow start with a few windows of opportunity, but don’t expect perfection. The best call is to wait for the morning of the 8th of September.

Rusty.

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