El Canyon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve got to level with you—this is a quiet stretch ahead. I’m looking at a full 16-day window starting August 5th, and there’s simply nothing doing at El Canyon. The ocean’s got plenty of wind but zero swell. The energy readings are flat-out empty, registering `0` for the entire stretch, which tells you we’re in for a real drought.

For the first week, from the 5th through the 11th, there’s no surf to speak of. The swell charts are showing a total blank, and while the winds are mostly offshore and light to moderate, it doesn’t matter when there’s nothing to push. You’ll see clean, glassy water out there, but it’s a lake, not a lineup. There’s a bit of a gap in the action for sure—pretty much the whole first week is a washout.

Now, the water temp at El Canyon is sitting at `78°F` with an anomaly of `9°F` warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. That’s a huge jump, way past the “notable” mark—this is seriously unusual, so you can expect bathwater conditions when something finally shows.

We finally get a tiny blip on the 17th of August, a week from Tuesday. It’s only a `0.3ft` wave, and it’s coming from the northwest with a period of `10 seconds`. That’s next to nothing—barely a ripple. It’s not even worth paddling out for. We’re talking about a lot of flat days building up to that, and after that, it’s back to nothing for the rest of the run through the 20th.

I’ve got to be honest, this outlook is as blank as it gets. El Canyon is a reef break that’s fairly consistent, and it can handle a good southwest swell, but there’s zero of that coming. The winds are mostly offshore or cross-offshore for most of the period, which is a tease—it would be clean if there was anything to surf. But there isn’t.

For a break that’s an advanced, exposed reef, you need some push, and we’re just not getting it. With this much time flat, it’s easy to get restless, but that’s the nature of the game sometimes. The positive side? A stretch this dead usually doesn’t last forever, and the forecasts can shift. But for now, keep the board in the car and the fins in the shed—this is a waiting game.

Always remember, the ocean’s got its own clock. We just gotta be patient.

Rusty.

Read more