El Chinchorro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks at El Chinchorro. It’s a consistent spot, beginner-friendly, and exposed to the southwest swell – and we’ve got a proper run of waves on the cards.

The water temp is sitting at about 64°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The first few days are a bit of a mixed bag with some decent size but the conditions aren’t quite clicking into place just yet.

We kick off on Saturday the 4th of July with a solid 7ft swell from the SSW, period around 12 seconds. There’s plenty of energy in the water (1362) but the wind is a light cross-on from the SW making things a little bumpy. Still, with that size and a consistent break, it’s worth a paddle if you’re keen. Sunday the 5th is interesting – the swell drops a little to 4ft, but the period stretches right out to a juicy 20 seconds, pushing the energy up to 1571. That’s proper groundswell with long, clean lines, and with a light offshore from the WSW, the morning session will be glassy and lined up. A long-period swell like that, though, can sometimes run a bit too straight for beach breaks; but for a spot like El Chinchorro, with the right exposure, it should be offering some long, walling rides.

Monday the 6th looks like a standout. We see a 6ft SSW swell with a 16-second period and the wave energy ramps right up to 2195. The wind is light offshore from the SW in the morning, and WSW in the afternoon. That’s proper, clean, chunky groundswell with lots of push. It’s not too big for most competent surfers, but with that kind of energy, it’ll be powerful. Tuesday keeps the flow going with similar 6ft swell and offshore winds, though the energy backs off a touch to 1721.

The middle of the week settles down. Wednesday the 8th through to the 16th, we’re looking at smaller swell, around 4ft to 5ft, and mostly shorter periods in the 12 to 16-second range. The offshore winds stick around a lot of the time, so the conditions will be clean, but the waves are more on the average to below-average side. Energy drops into the moderate range (571 to 1269). It’s still surfable, just not particularly exciting. There’s a stretch where nothing really fires, so it’ll feel like a bit of a lull.

Now, for the real highlight of this forecast – you’ll want to circle Saturday the 18th of July. The morning session is looking like the pick of the whole period. We’ve got a 5ft SSW swell, a very long period of 17 seconds, and the wave energy is pumping at 2550. The wind is forecast to be glassy, dead calm from the west. That is about as good as it gets for clean conditions. The swell direction matches the optimum for the break, and while the period is long, at this size it should still offer great shape with long gaps between sets. This is a proper groomed groundswell, ideal for experienced surfers who want the best the area can offer. The afternoon holds up nicely too with a 5ft swell and clean offshore wind.

Sunday the 19th tails off again with smaller 5ft swell and a drop in energy (1084), still clean but nothing to write home about.

The long-range stuff for the second week is more inconsistent, with the afternoon of Friday the 17th showing a potential pulse with 7ft swell and high energy (2345), but conditions are still clean. Just less certainty that far out.

So, in short: the best windows are the morning of Saturday the 4th isn't the best, the real sweet spots are Sunday the 5th and Monday the 6th for clean, powerful groundswell, and the absolute standout is the glassy morning of Saturday the 18th of July. That one’s a beauty.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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