El Canal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the 16-day picture for El Canal.

Honestly, it’s a pretty bleak stretch out there. The whole forecast period is a long, drawn-out run of poor surf conditions, with hardly a moment worth paddling out for. The only flicker of life comes right at the very end, over a week and a half away. For the first 13 days, it’s all cross-shore winds and lumpy, choppy water, with wave heights bouncing between flat and a measly 5 ft. The combined swell energy stays weak to moderate mostly, hitting a peak of 283 (moderate energy) on Thursday the 10th, but it doesn’t matter because the wind just ruins it.

The standout window, if you can call it that, is the morning of Saturday the 19th of September. That’s the first time we see a light breeze and “clean” conditions. The swell is tiny, just 2 ft from the east, with a short period of 6 seconds, so it’s weak, weak energy (61). It’s “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” For El Canal, an advanced reef break, you need a bit more push. The morning of Sunday the 20th is similar, also 2 ft with a light breeze.

If you’re a beginner, don’t even think about it – the swell never gets above 5 ft, so it’s not a size issue, it’s a quality issue. The afternoon of Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th have the biggest swell, around 5 ft, but with a fresh cross-shore breeze and lumpy chop, it’s just a messy, frustrating session.

The water temperature? No data given in the file, so I can’t tell you if it’s warm or cold for this time of year.

Bottom line: There’s nothing to get excited about for a long, long time. The only two mornings that are even rideable are the 19th and 20th of September, and even then, it’s small and ordinary. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off. It’s a tough beat for El Canal, but sometimes the forecast just doesn’t play ball.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

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