El Camotal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s cooking for El Camotal. Gonna keep it real – the next week and a half is a bit of a waiting game.

Right now, we’re in a flat spell. The first surf we see is on Saturday the 22nd of August, but it’s not worth paddling out for. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the southwest, with a long period of 12 seconds, but the wind is a cross-onshore at 9 mph. The combined swell energy is weak at 71, and the conditions are poor. The water temperature is 65°, which is about average for this time of year.

This quiet pattern hangs around for days. Sunday the 23rd, Monday the 24th, Tuesday the 25th, and Wednesday the 26th are all the same story – small, weak swell, and that cross-onshore wind messing up the surface. The energy is low, barely climbing into the 100s, and the surf is poor. Tough stretch.

Thursday the 27th of August shows a flicker of hope. The swell bumps up to about 2 ft, but the period goes very long, hitting 20 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but with the cross-onshore wind, it’s still only marginal. The combined energy climbs to 354 and 395, which is moderate, but the wind is the killer.

Now, the standout window starts to look better from Friday the 28th of August. The swell jumps significantly to 6 ft in the morning, hitting 7 ft in the afternoon, from the southwest. The period is 17 seconds, so it’s a long-period groundswell. The combined energy rockets up to 1746 and 2237 – that’s strong energy. But here’s the catch: the wind is still cross-onshore at 6 to 9 mph. The surf is described as marginal. For a beginner-friendly spot like El Camotal, 6 ft to 7 ft is getting big, and with that wind, it’s not going to be clean. This is more of a looker than a paddler, unless you’re an expert.

Saturday the 29th of August holds 7 ft to 6 ft swell, but again, the wind is on it. The energy is still strong (1563 to 1269), but the quality is not there. Sunday the 30th drops to 5 ft, and the energy starts to fade.

The real highlight, if you can wait, is Thursday the 3rd of September. The swell hits 5 ft to 6 ft from the southwest, with a period of 18 seconds. The combined energy is a strong 1659 to 2082. The wind is still light cross-onshore at 6 to 9 mph, but it’s the best consistency and power we’ve seen. Friday the 4th of September keeps it going with 7 ft swell and 1968 to 1904 energy. This is a window where the southwest groundswell has real power, and if you can handle the size and the slight chop, there are waves to be had.

The best offer across the whole 16 days is the Thursday the 3rd of September and Friday the 4th of September. The swell is solid, the energy is high, and the conditions are at least marginal. For a break that’s consistent, this is the best window. It’s a shame the wind isn’t offshore, but the long-period swell from the southwest will be wrapping in nicely.

So, keep your eye on that first week of September. The rest of the time is mostly small and messy, with a few days of bigger, wind-affected surf. That’s the read for El Camotal.

Rusty.

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