El Chanquete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be honest with each other right off the bat: the next two weeks are a real mixed bag with a lot of patience required. The first real chance of a splash doesn’t roll in until the morning of Sunday the 13th, so we’re looking at a stretch of nearly five days with nothing worth waxing up for. After that, the surf tries to find its feet, but it’s a long, slow grind.

The first spot we’ve got to talk about is El Chanquete. It’s a beginner-friendly beach and reef setup, open to the southeast. The water temperature is sitting at 73°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Sunday, September 13th. The wind is glassy, dead calm, and that’s a major win. Swell is a tiny 3ft from the ESE at a short 6 seconds. The combined energy is weak (66), so it’s not going to blow you away. The notes say "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," and honestly, that’s the vibe. A small, clean wave for a beginner to get wet on.

Then we have a bit of a lull again until the morning of Saturday, September 20th, where the wind is clean and cross-off from the ENE at 3 mph. The swell bumps up slightly to 3ft, ESE at 6 seconds, with a combined energy of 74. Still small, still weak, but it’s clean. It’s the same story for the morning of Monday, September 21st: glassy, 3ft from the ESE, 6 seconds, energy at 66. Safe, but not special.

The standout moment, and I mean the one true highlight in this whole 16-day window, looks like it’s lining up for the morning of Tuesday, September 22nd and the morning of Wednesday, September 23rd.

On Tuesday the 22nd, the morning is glassy, with a 4ft swell from the east at 6 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 220, and the guidance says "expect good surf conditions." This is the best we’re going to get. The wind is off, the size is fun, and it’s actually surfable. The east swell direction isn’t a perfect match for the optimum SE direction, but with glassy conditions, it’ll be clean.

Wednesday the 23rd morning is almost a carbon copy: glassy, 4ft from the east, 6 seconds, and a combined energy of 212. Another "expect good surf conditions" call.

A word of caution: the afternoon winds on both of those days turn light cross-onshore, which will mess things up, so get your session in early. Also, crowds are "sometimes" a thing here, so you might have to share the peak.

The rest of the forecast is a tale of tiny waves, poor conditions, or flat spells. The swell is short period, so you won’t get any of that long-period groundswell magic. The best of the whole period is those two mornings nearly two weeks out. It’s a promising call, but don’t book the plane ticket just yet—long-range forecasts can shift.

Rusty.

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