El Camotal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down this 16-day stretch for El Camotal. It’s a rough patch, I won’t sugarcoat it. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, keeping the surf choppy and messy. There’s no real blower day, just a few barely rideable windows.

The water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 71°F, with a big anomaly of 4°F, so that’s a bit of a treat if you’re in a wetsuit.

The first bit of surf worth talking about is a marginal window on Sunday morning, August 2nd. You’ve got a 3ft swell from the southwest with a long period of 14 seconds – that’s a groundswell. The combined energy is moderate at 303. The wind is a light cross-onshore at 6 mph, so it’s not clean, but it’s small and rippable for a beginner. Don’t get excited, it’s barely a 1 out of 10, but it’s the first crack in the door.

Things get a little more interesting heading into Wednesday, August 5th. The morning shows a 4ft SW swell with a 13-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 444. Wind is still light cross-onshore at 6 mph, but it’s still a marginal call. The afternoon of the 5th has a 4ft swell and energy hitting 600, but that gentle cross-onshore breeze at 9 mph keeps it choppy. Still, this is the best of the first week. The swell direction is from the southwest, which is not the optimum northwest direction for this spot, so it’s not wrapping in perfectly, but it’s something.

Now, the only real standout in the whole 16 days – and I’m being careful here – is Thursday morning, August 14th. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the southwest, period of 16 seconds, and combined energy of 828. The wind switches to a light cross-shore at 6 mph, which is the cleanest wind we’ll see in the whole window. The swell is moderate, but the cross-shore wind will make the surface glassy. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the best on offer. The swell is long-period, so it’ll be better-lined up at a point or reef, but El Camotal is exposed, so you might get some decent walls. It’s still a marginal situation, but that’s as good as it gets.

Don’t bother with the second week much. There’s a moment on Saturday morning, August 15th, with a 5ft SW swell and 958 energy, but the wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 9 mph, so it’s going to be a lumpy mess. The swell is getting up there in size – over 5ft is edging into beginner-unfriendly territory, and the conditions won’t help.

Honestly, it’s a grim run. The combined energy peaks around 1383 on the afternoon of the 15th, but with strong cross-onshore winds at 16 mph, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. The swell is too big and messy for the average stick.

Bottom line: the best bet is that Thursday morning, August 14th. It’s not a classic, but it’s the only window with a chance at a clean-ish wave. The rest of the time, you’re fighting the wind. Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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