El Caño de la Culata Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the local forecast for El Caño de la Culata. I gotta be straight with you – this one’s a tough pill to swallow.

Looking at the whole 16-day window, there’s really no surf worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, weak, and the wind keeps swinging onshore, smashing any hope of a clean wave. We’re looking at a long, flat run here with nothing to get excited about.

The first record we get is for Tuesday morning, August 4th. Up at El Caño de la Culata, you’ve got a tiny 1ft dribble from the WNW with a period of just 3 seconds – that’s pure wind chop, not a wave. Combined energy is a measly 3, so don’t bother. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about average for this time of year considering the anomaly is only 1°. The morning winds are cross-off from the NW at 9 mph, so it looks clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

That afternoon, the wind cranks up to 22 mph from the SW, cross-on, and the surf jumps to a whopping... 2ft. Still a 4-second period. Energy is just 15. It’s a mess.

This pattern holds all week. Every morning offers clean conditions with cross-off winds from the NNW or NW, but absolutely zero swell – flat as a pancake. Then each afternoon, the SW wind fires up, and we see these pathetic little 1ft to 3ft waves with periods of 3 to 4 seconds. The energy never breaks 17. These aren’t waves; they’re just surface bumps.

This dead zone stretches all the way through the weekend and into the next week. Tuesday morning, August 11th? Flat. Wednesday morning, August 12th? Flat. We get a little bump of 2ft on Thursday afternoon, August 13th, but with 19 mph cross-on wind and a 4-second period, it’s not surf – it’s a washing machine. The energy is only 13.

Even the mornings on the weekend of August 15th and 16th show flat conditions. There’s a tiny 2ft showing on Saturday afternoon the 15th with onshore wind, and a 1.0ft on Monday the 17th with onshore wind. Periods are 4 to 5 seconds, energy barely scratches 15.

The very end of the window, Wednesday morning, August 19th, offers clean conditions again, but the swell that afternoon is just 0.7ft with a 3-second period and energy of 1. That’s not even a ripple.

For a spot that’s sheltered and fairly consistent, a run this flat is a bit of a surprise. With the swell this weak and the afternoons always getting blown out, even a beginner wouldn't get a ride. The combination of tiny swell and strong cross-onshore winds makes this whole setup look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those few afternoon bumps. Honestly, there’s nothing here to get wet for. Keep the board in the bag and check back in a few days – forecasts can change. Until then, it’s a drought.

Rusty

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