El Canal (Rio de Bayamon) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checkin’ out El Canal (Rio de Bayamon). It’s a tough watch for the next couple of weeks. This is a river mouth break, sheltered, and it rarely breaks. For a paddle surfer, it’s gonna be a long wait. The water’s around 84°, which is about normal for the time of year, so at least it’s warm while you’re waitin’.

We kick off on Monday the 17th of August with a 3ft swell from the ENE, but it’s a short period of 8 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-shore at 12 mph. The energy is weak (154), and it’s just poor out there. No dice.

Tuesday the 18th drops to 2ft in the morning. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. The energy is a measly 44. The afternoon gets a little bump to 3ft, but the wind goes cross again and it’s bumpy. Still no good.

Wednesday the 19th is a morning of 2ft with a super short period of 5 seconds—just little bumps. The afternoon has a clean offshore wind, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft. You’d be doing more floating than surfing.

From Thursday the 20th through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s a total drought. Waves are between 0.6ft and 1ft, with energy readings in the single digits or low tens. It’s a flat spell. There’s a tiny spike late Sunday the 23rd afternoon to 4ft, but it’s a 6-second period, so it’s all closeout whitewash.

Then Monday the 24th hits. The morning jumps to 8ft from the ENE with an 8-second period. The energy is strong (711). It’s clean, but the wind is a cross-off. That’s a huge wave for a river mouth, way too big for beginners. The afternoon goes even bigger to 10ft (1417 energy), but the wind goes cross-shore and it’s messy. The report calls it marginal. This is heavy, dangerous stuff, only for experts.

Tuesday the 25th stays big—8ft in the morning with a longer 11-second period. The wind is a nasty cross-onshore, making it choppy. The afternoon drops to 6ft, but the wind is straight onshore. Not good.

Wednesday the 26th brings a relief. The swell drops to 4ft with a glassy offshore wind from the SSE. The period is short again at 6 seconds, so it’s weak (137), but it’s clean. The afternoon is 4ft with the same light offshore wind.

From Thursday the 27th through to the 1st of September, it’s a boring stretch of 3ft to 4ft, all short period (6-8 seconds), with moderate cross-off winds. The energy is moderate (100-181), but the waves are small and weak. The best of the bunch is the morning of the 26th of August, with a bit of size and glassy conditions, but it’s still a weak, short-period wave.

For kitesurfers, the strong winds and the 8ft+ swell on the 24th and 25th would be way more interesting than trying to paddle here.

Main takeaway: This is a long, quiet stretch for a paddle surfer. The only real standout is the big, dangerous swell on the 24th, which is for experts only. The rest is tiny. The area can go flat like this, so it’s not a surprise.

Rusty.

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