El Chanquete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what's shaping up for El Chanquete over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we've got a pretty flat start. The first few days, from Wednesday the 16th right through to Friday the 18th, are a total write-off. We're talking about waves barely reaching 1 ft at best, with hardly any energy behind them and a lot of cross-on wind messing things up. It's basically a lake out there for the beginner-friendly beach and reef setup. You'll be better off finding something else to do. Keep in mind the water's sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Saturday the 19th morning is when things finally wake up. A clean, glassy morning delivers a solid 5 ft swell from the east (combined energy of 332) – it’s not huge, but it’s the first real sign of life. The offshore wind is light and variable, making for some clean little waves. The afternoon gets chopped up by a cross-onshore breeze, so get on it early.

Now, the standout window is without a doubt Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st. Let’s start with Sunday morning. We’ve got clean, glassy conditions with a solid 7 ft east swell rolling in, packing a punch with a combined energy of 749. The wind is light and offshore, so it’ll be nicely groomed. That said, at 7 ft, this is getting towards the bigger end for a beginner-friendly break, so it’s going to be more suited to the guys who have a few sessions under their belt. The afternoon goes to rubbish again, but that morning is the pick of the whole forecast.

Monday the 21st morning comes in hot on its heels – another clean, offshore morning with 7 ft of east swell (combined energy of 681). Again, glassy conditions early, so the top-to-bottom action will be on. If you can only paddle out once in this whole run, Sunday or Monday morning is it. The swell period is 7 seconds, so it’s a bit of a shorter-period wind swell, but with that much energy and clean wind, it’ll still have some push.

After that, Tuesday the 22nd drops off a cliff back to tiny, poor surf, and it stays pretty unremarkable through the rest of the month and into October. There’s a brief blip on Sunday the 28th morning with a glassy 4 ft east swell, but the energy (110) is weak and the forecast is ordinary at best.

So, to wrap it up: the first few days are dead, but this weekend and Monday are your only real chances to get wet with some proper, clean waves. Don't sleep on Sunday morning – that's the best on offer.

- Rusty

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