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

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one for El Canal (Rio de Bayamon). We're looking at a 16-day window that's pretty much a write-off for any decent paddle surfing.

Honestly, for the entire 16-day stretch from August 11th right through to August 26th, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The waves just aren't cooperating. It’s a long, blank run, which sadly isn't that unusual for this sheltered spot. The river mouth setup needs a very specific combination of swell and tide, and we just aren't getting it.

Throughout the whole period, the swell is small and weak, mostly coming from the east and northeast. The combined wave energy barely ever cracks the 100 mark, with readings like 91, 81, and 21 (weak energy). Even when we get a pulse of energy around Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th, with sizes hitting 4.9 ft to 5.6 ft and energy up to 309 (moderate), the wind is howling from the east at 18 to 22 mph. That’s a fresh breeze creating messy, lumpy conditions. It’s a beach and river mouth setup, so with that wind and chop, it looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There is a brief moment around Monday the 17th where the swell period jumps to 13 seconds and energy hits 735 (strong to very strong wave energy) with a 4.9 ft swell from the east-northeast. But again, that ENE wind is blowing at 9 to 12 mph creating a cross-chop. The conditions just aren't clean.

Every single time slot for the entire 16 days gets a zero out of ten rating in the guidance. Nothing is recommended. For you beginners, don't even think about it – even the slightly bigger days are blown out, and the clean days have barely any swell. Keep your board on the rack, wait for the forecasts to change, because they usually do around here. Eventually, something will line up. For now, it’s a total flat spell.

Stay tuned for the next one.

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