El Chanquete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for El Chanquete. I’ll be straight with you – right now, through the whole 16-day window, the surf is a real struggle. The swell is small, the energy is weak, and it’s just not offering anything worth getting excited about for paddle surfing.

To be honest, from now until mid-July, we’re looking at a pretty blank run. There are a few tiny pulses, but nothing that breaks the “poor surf conditions” barrier. The water’s sitting around 75°F at the start, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 4°F anomaly. That’s a bit of a curveball.

Kicking off on Monday the 6th of July, it’s just not happening. A tiny 1ft swell from the ESE, with a short 4-second period and only 6 combined energy. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so the surface is a mess. Forget it. That sets the tone for the next several days – tiny, gutless waves with poor wind. Most mornings offer glassy conditions, but with zero to minuscule swell, there’s simply nothing to ride. The 9th of July afternoon shows a 2ft onshore bump from the SW (15 km/h), but that wind is straight on it, making for ugly, blown-out conditions.

There’s a slight lift on Friday the 10th. The morning shows a 3ft swell from the WSW, with a 5-second period and 45 combined energy. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NW, so it cleans up a bit. It’s still barely a knee-high dribble, but if you’re desperate, it’s the best of a bad week. The afternoon gets blown out again. After that, it’s back to the flat spell.

We see another tiny spike on Wednesday the 15th of July morning. A 1ft swell from the WSW, 4-second period, with a light offshore from the NNE. Clean, but again, tiny. The energy is only 10. It’s not worth packing the board for.

The end of the window, around Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, shows the strongest pulse yet, but it’s still weak and very long-range, so don’t bank on it. The 20th afternoon picks up a 3ft swell from the ESE with a 6-second period and 44 combined energy. The wind is a light cross-onshore. The 21st morning has a 2ft from the E with a 7-second period, giving 33 energy, with a light cross-offshore from the NNW making for clean surfaces. This is the most promising period, but it’s small and the swell direction isn’t ideal for the optimum SE direction. The combined energy is still weak at 44 and 33.

The Standout (with caution): If you absolutely have to get wet, the Friday 10th of July morning is the only real standout, but that’s a weak highlight. The 3ft from the WSW with clean cross-offshore wind is the best combo we see, but it’s still a tiny wave. Later, the Monday 20th of July afternoon and Tuesday 21st of July morning might offer something marginally more rideable, but it’s a week and a half away, so don’t hold your breath.

Honestly, for this stretch, the setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The swell is so weak and inconsistent, and the winds are often cross or onshore. For a surfer, it’s a quiet period. It won’t stay poor forever, but for now, save your energy.

Rusty.

Read more