El Cardon Surf Guide

El Cardon in Baja Norte is an exposed point break that usually has waves. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Clean groundswells prevail and the ideal swell direction is from the west. Sometimes crowded. Beware of rips and sharks.

El Cardon Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Point1consistent
17.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Cardon:

The best conditions reported for surf at El Cardon occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

What's the best time of year to surf El Cardon (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing El Cardon with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 49% of the time in January while 50% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 1% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
49%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
50%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
1%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore El Cardon Location Map

Interactive El Cardon surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to El Cardon is Punta Penasco Airport (PPE) in Mexico, which is 286 km (178 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to El Cardon is General Ignacio P Garcia International (Hermosillo) Airport (HMO), also in Mexico, 333 km (207 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
El Cardon Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 3 May 2026, 23:20 Local Time
SunMon
8PM11PM2AM5AM
Wave (m)
0.7
WNW
0.7
WNW
0.7
WNW
0.5
NW
Period (s) 12 12 12 12
Wind (km/h)
15
10
15
15
Wind State cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross

Swell History at El Cardon

Surf stats for El Cardon, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at El Cardon

Wind stats for El Cardon, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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