El Cardon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. The wave energy is there, but the conditions just aren’t lining up for a proper paddle session. We’re looking at a long, dry spell where the surf quality is rated as poor pretty much across the board. The first real chance of anything resembling a surfable wave doesn’t appear until Wednesday, August 19th, and even that’s a marginal call. That’s a brutal gap of nearly two weeks with nothing to get excited about.

The only spot in the game is El Cardon, a point break that’s consistent and exposed to the west. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – you might not need the thickest wetsuit.

For the first week and a half, the wind is a constant problem. It’s mostly a cross-onshore breeze from the west or west-northwest, ranging from light to moderate. That’s putting a chop on everything. The swell is tiny, mostly 1 ft to 2 ft from the south-west, with periods that are all over the place. While the combined energy climbs from a moderate 158 (on August 5th) up into the strong range – hitting 426 by Friday, August 14th – it’s all wasted energy because the wind is just ruining the surface. The waves won’t be any fun.

Then around Tuesday, August 18th, the swell direction shifts to the west-northwest and the period drops to a short 7 seconds, with the height bumping up to 3 ft to 4 ft. The combined energy jumps to 378 in the afternoon, but that short-period, wind-driven slop with a strong cross-onshore breeze is a mess. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The one glimmer of hope comes on Wednesday, August 19th, in the morning. The wind swings around to a light onshore from the south-west, and we get a 2 ft swell from the south-southwest with a 15-second period. The combined energy is a moderate 251. It’s still only a marginal forecast, and the quality is barely a one out of ten, but it’s the only time the wind isn’t actively ruining the wave face. The long period (15 seconds) means better shaped waves and longer gaps between sets, which is a positive for a point break like El Cardon. It’s not a standout, it’s just the only option on the table. After that, it’s back to the cross-onshore chop.

Honestly, lads, this is a two-week write-off. Park the board and maybe check the forecast again in a few days.

Rusty.

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