El Claron Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s talk about what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks. The overall pattern is pretty average, to be honest. There’s a solid pulse of swell kicking things off, but the wind and surf quality are going to be a bit messy, so don’t get too excited.

We start off on Thursday, August 27th with a big, powerful 12 ft swell out of the WSW with a very long period of 14 seconds. That's proper groundswell energy, with combined energy reading a strong 5204 (moderate to strong wave energy). But, here’s the catch: the wind is light at 3 mph from the WSW, which is cross-on for El Claron (El-Claron). That’s going to chop things up. It’s going to be big, strong, and a bit unruly – this is expert territory only, with waves over 8 ft. The water temp is 57°, which is about average for this time of year.

Thursday afternoon holds the same size, but the wind stays cross-on. It's still clean-looking from a distance, but the cross-on angle will create light wind ripples. The energy is still massive at 4704.

Friday, August 28th sees the swell drop to 8 ft, still WSW and a 14-second period. There's light wind onshore in the morning at 6 mph, so expect some bump. The energy is still high, but it's starting to drop. By the afternoon, we’re down to 8 ft with a 13-second period. It’s marginal, and the scores reflect that – not the best.

Saturday, August 29th, the swell settles to 6 ft, with a 12-second period. Winds are cross-on at 6 mph. The energy is moderate at 1071. This is where it starts to become a bit more surfable for intermediates, but it’s still not clean.

Sunday, August 30th, the swell drops to 5 ft and the period is 11 seconds. Light cross-on winds with some clear skies – it’s okay, but nothing to write home about.

From Monday, August 31st right through to Wednesday, September 2nd, we’ve got a real lull. Swell sizes hover around 4 ft to 5 ft with short periods (9-12 seconds). The wind is consistently cross-on or cross-shore, and the energy is weak (less than 700). The wave comments say “poor surf conditions” or “marginal surf.” This is a gap of a few days with nothing recommended. Honestly, a blank run like this is pretty normal for the area when the swell drops out.

Thursday, September 3rd shows a slight tick up with 4 ft to 4 ft swell, but the WSW swell picks up a longer period of 14 seconds again – that’s interesting for a point break like El Claron. The combined energy is 671 to 750, so moderate. But again, cross-on winds and the surf is marginal to poor.

Now, the standout window arrives around Friday, September 4th into Saturday, September 5th. Friday morning we see a 6 ft swell from the WSW, 13-second period, with light 6 mph cross-on wind. The energy is 1042 – moderate, but it’s the most promising we’ve seen in days. Saturday morning then cranks up to a solid 7 ft from the WSW, 13-second period. Light cross-on wind, energy of 1286. This is the best on offer. It’s going to be big enough for strong intermediates, but the cross-on wind will hold it back from perfection. Still, if you want waves, this is your window.

After that, things go downhill again. Sunday, September 6th sees fresh cross-on winds of 19 mph with 4 ft lumpy waves – that’s more a windsurf or kite day. Monday, September 7th has a long-period 6 ft to 7 ft swell (17 seconds!) but the wind is a messy 9-16 mph cross-on, making it choppy. The long period is a positive for shape at a point break, but the wind ruins it.

Tuesday, September 8th is back to 6 ft with a 15-second period but still cross-on winds, and the same goes for Wednesday and Thursday. The energy is moderate, but the wind never really swings to straight offshore. The last good-ish mention is Wednesday, September 9th morning, with 4 ft, 14-second swell and light cross-on wind – marginal.

So, the best on offer is the Friday September 4th into Saturday September 5th period, with 6 ft to 7 ft WSW swell. It’s the biggest, most consistent window with moderate energy and the least wind mess. But don’t expect perfection – it’s a cross-on affair the whole way.

Stay safe out there.

- Rusty

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