El Comedor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve got a look at the forecast for our local spot. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at El Comedor, a solid expert-level reef break. The water is sitting at about 73°F – that’s pretty normal for this time of year, nothing crazy. The trouble is, for the entire 16-day run, every single session is marked as poor surf conditions. That’s a full two weeks plus of nothing worth paddling out for.

The swell is there, but it’s not cooperating. We start with a weak 4 ft swell from the NNE on Sunday morning, with a short period of just 6 seconds and combined energy of only 123 – that’s weak energy. The wind is light and offshore from the North, which is actually perfect for clean conditions, but the swell is just too small and weak to make anything of it. The afternoon sees a bump to 4 ft but the wind picks up to a moderate 12 mph, still offshore, but it doesn’t matter – the waves are junk.

Through Monday and Tuesday, the swell builds a bit, hitting 5 ft and 5 ft with periods of 7 seconds. The combined energy climbs into the moderate range (237 to 220), but the wind turns cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. The break is exposed to the swell, but the direction is NNE to NE, and this spot really wants a solid NNW groundswell to work. It’s just not lining up.

By Wednesday the 5th, the swell pushes to 6 ft with energy up to 302, but it’s still a weak, short-period windswell at 7 seconds. That swell size is getting into the "too big for beginners" zone, but with that short period, it’s just a bumpy, shifty mess. Offshore winds from the NNE keep the surface reasonably clean, but the wave quality is still poor.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is more of the same. Swell heights hover between 5 ft and 6 ft, periods slowly creep up to 8 or 9 seconds by the second weekend, but it’s never enough. The combined energy spikes to 462 on the 8th of August (Saturday morning) – that’s moderate energy – but again, the swell direction is all wrong for this reef. It’s like having a Ferrari with no fuel.

The only real standout in this entire period is the last few days of the forecast. On Sunday the 16th of August, we see a 5 ft swell from the North with a period of 9 seconds and a combined energy of 398. The morning has a light 6 mph offshore breeze from the NNE – that’s glassy, clean conditions. The period is getting longer, suggesting more push and better shape, but it’s still not the long-period groundswell this reef demands. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but it’s still a “poor surf conditions” call from the data.

Monday the 17th of August morning sees the swell drop to 3 ft from the North with a 9-second period, energy drops to 230, and light offshore winds. It’s small and clean, but again, the wave quality is listed as poor.

The big takeaway? This spot is a dud for the next 16 days. The swell is almost entirely short-period windswell coming from the wrong direction, and the wind is often too strong or cross-onshore. For a break that’s consistent and exposed, this is a very unusual run of poor conditions. It’s not going to stay this bad forever – forecasts can change – but right now, I wouldn’t even bother waxing the board. Save the petrol.

Keep your eyes on the charts, but for now, the surf is a write-off.

Rusty.

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