El Corniche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. We've got a real bleak run ahead for the region. Honestly, for the next 16 days, the surf just isn't showing up. You're looking at a long stretch of flat, onshore slop with hardly any energy to get excited about. It's one of those periods where you might be better off checking the forecast again in a few days, because this is rare for the area to be this shut down for so long.

The pattern starts off weak. Monday afternoon the 24th of August has a tiny 2 ft swell from the NW with a short 6-second period and only 50 combined energy. Wind is onshore from the NW at 9 mph, so it's just blown-out junk. No good for anyone.

We drift through the week with similar conditions. Tuesday and Wednesday are more of the same – 1 ft to 4 ft of NW windswell, periods barely hitting 7 seconds, and onshore winds in the 6 to 12 mph range. Energy is weak, from 21 to 103. There's no let-up, just messy, poor surf.

Friday the 28th of August picks up a little, swell hits 4 ft to 5 ft from the NW, period still short at 6 to 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 377 in the afternoon, which is moderate, but with onshore winds at 12 mph, it's going to be choppy and ugly. Saturday morning the 29th is the best of a bad bunch, the swell is 5 ft at 8 seconds from the NW, winds are light from the WNW at 6 mph, and energy is 270. It's still only a "marginal" call, but if you were desperate, you might find a few cleanish, weak ones at El Corniche. By the afternoon, the cross-onshore wind from the WNW at 12 mph kills it again.

After that, the whole first week of September is a write-off. The swell drops back to below 3 ft, period drops to 5 to 7 seconds, and the energy goes back to double-digit figures. The water is reading 84°F, which is 4° warmer than normal – so it's noticeably hot for this time of year at El Corniche, but you'd be floating on a lake, not surfing.

A small bump shows up on Monday the 7th of September, with a 5 ft NW swell and 8-second period, giving 213 combined energy. Winds are onshore at 9 mph in the morning. It's still poor. Tuesday the 8th takes us back down to 3 ft and 116 energy. No standout, no hope.

The whole forecast period is a bust. Don't bother paddling out unless you just want a warm saltwater bath. The wind is relentless onshore, the swell is short-period and weak. This setup looks more interesting for kiteboarding than paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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