El Camotal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s have a proper look at El Camotal.

Right now, there is absolutely nothing on offer. The first week is a write-off – barely a ripple, and what little shows up is all cross-onshore wind. Monday 10 August starts dead calm, clear skies, but a light cross-on breeze and zero swell. That sets the tone. Monday afternoon we get a tiny 2ft from the SW with a very long 18-second period, but the wind is a moderate cross-on, so it’s messy. Combined wave energy is 258 (moderate energy), but with the poor conditions it’s not worth suiting up. Tuesday and Wednesday are similar – tiny little pulses under 1ft, all cross-on, all rubbish.

There’s a gap of several days where you’d be better off doing something else. Around Thursday 13 August, things start to lift. The swell picks up to 3ft from the SW, period 19 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 586 (moderate), but that cross-on wind isn’t letting go. It’s a marginal day at best, and for a consistent, exposed beginner spot like El Camotal, that wind direction on your back means lumpy, choppy faces.

Friday 14 August is the closest we get to a standout, but I’d be lying if I called it good. The swell pushes to 5ft from the SW, period 16 seconds, and combined energy hits 1210 (strong). That's a decent amount of water moving. But the wind is still cross-on – gentle breeze in the morning, moderate in the afternoon – so the surface is chopped up. The swell direction is SW, and El Camotal works best with a NW optimum, so it’s coming in off-angle. For a beginner break, that 5ft might be pushing it – it’s more for the crew with a few sessions under their belt. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, but on these conditions it’ll be quiet.

The water temperature is 69° with an anomaly of 5°, so that’s much warmer than usual for this time of year – actually notable.

The rest of the run into late August is more of the same: swells between 2ft and 4ft from the SW, periods dropping from 15 down to 12 seconds, but the wind never cleans up. It’s cross-on all day, every day. There’s a brief blip on Thursday 20 August with lighter wind and some marginal potential, but the swell is only 3ft and the period is 14 seconds.

From the 21st onward, the energy fades away fast – tiny 0.3ft to 2ft swells, some with very long periods over 20 seconds, but that only makes them fat and weak on a beach break. The combined energy drops to two-digit values, basically a lake.

Honestly, there’s no shining window here. The best bet is Friday 14 August morning if you’re desperate and you don’t mind cross-on chop with a decent 5ft SW swell – but it’s not clean, it’s not glassy, and it’s not the direction this spot wants. If you’re a kite surfer, that consistent cross-on wind and moderate swell might look more fun, but for paddling, give it a miss.

Stay tuned, forecasts can change. Rusty.

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