El Canyon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about this. I’ve been watching the charts for El Canyon and, honestly, it’s a rough run. This is a reef break that needs a good SW swell and clean winds to fire, but we’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of nothing.

The forecast kicks off on Tuesday, 14th July, and there’s just no surf to speak of. The water is sitting at 79°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—that’s a 8°F anomaly, which is really unusual. We’re talking about a solid 13-day gap here with no real surf. Day after day of flat conditions, with the wind blowing cross-offshore or cross-off from the SSE and S, keeping things clean but not offering a single wave to ride. The energy is a big fat zero for most of that period.

The first sign of any life doesn’t show up until Monday, 27th July. Monday morning, we’ve got a tiny pulse of swell from the NNW at 0.7 ft, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 8. That’s pretty much a flat spell. The wind is light cross-offshore from the SSE, so it’s clean, but there’s simply no power to push a wave. The afternoon is even flatter.

Then on Tuesday, 28th July, we see a similar story. Morning brings 0.7 ft from the NNW at 8 seconds, and the afternoon delivers a 0.3 ft, 12-second pulse from the NW. The energy is 7 and 6, respectively. Even with the 12-second period suggesting a bit of groundswell, the size is just too small to do anything meaningful. The winds are still cross-offshore, but it’s not enough to save the session.

The final day we’ve got data for, Wednesday, 29th July, shows a small 0.7 ft from the NNW at 8 seconds in the afternoon, with energy of 12, but it’s still poor surf. The wind is picking up to 15 mph from the SSE, which is cross-offshore, not helping the lack of swell.

The Bottom Line: This is a dead period for El Canyon. There are no standouts, no hidden gems, nothing worth paddling out for. The optimum swell direction is SW, and we’re not seeing anything close to that. The lack of consistency is a real problem here. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you could try Monday or Tuesday the 28th for a tiny, clean wave, but you’ll be waiting for a ghost set. Honestly, this looks more like a period for cleaning the wax off your board than for surfing. For a break that’s fairly consistent, this dry spell is a bummer, but it happens. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye out, but right now? It’s a no-go.

Rusty.

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