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

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be honest, the next 16 days are a tough watch for El Canal (Rio de Bayamon). The surf just isn't offering anything worthwhile. The whole period is a write-off of weak, small waves and poor surf conditions. There's a long gap with no real recommendations, right from the start through to the end of the forecast. It’s one of those blank runs that just happens sometimes around here.

The water is sitting at 85°F which is about average for the time of year, so at least it’s warm, but that’s the only good news.

The first few days, from Tuesday 25th August, you’re looking at tiny 1.0ft to 2ft of swell with a short period of 7 seconds. The wind is a moderate breeze from the east, gusting 12 to 16 mph, blowing cross-off or cross. It’s clean enough, but the combined energy is pitifully weak (19 to 68). There's just nothing to ride.

Moving into Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th, there’s a slight bump. The swell height climbs to 3ft by Wednesday afternoon, and the combined energy hits a moderate 168, but it’s still a short, weak period swell (6 to 8 seconds). The wind is still a moderate breeze, creating a cross-chop. It’s all 'poor surf conditions' across the board. By Thursday, the period jumps to 13 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell, but there’s hardly any size to back it up at 2ft, and the energy is still modest (203 to 215). This spot is a sheltered river, so a longer period swell might not wrap in properly anyway.

The pattern continues through the end of August and into the first week of September. We see a few pulses of 3ft to 4ft swell on the 29th and 30th, but the period is still short (6 to 7 seconds), and the wind is a relentless 12 to 16 mph cross-off. The combined energy sits in the moderate range (146 to 182), but the quality is just not there. Every single entry is marked as 'poor surf conditions'.

After the 31st of August, the trend is downhill. The swell drops off, the energy fades, and by the 5th of September, we’re back to 0.7ft to 1.0ft dribble. The whole second week is a bust.

There is no standout, no best day, no time to paddle out. The only thing consistent here is the lack of rideable waves. For a river break that rarely breaks anyway, this is a full 16-day drought. It’s a tough one to swallow.

Rusty

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