El Corniche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for El Corniche over the next couple weeks.

To be straight with you, the start of this outlook is a tough stretch. From now through to the end of August, it’s pretty bleak. There’s no real swell to speak of – we’re looking at tiny waves, mostly under 3ft, with short-period windswell and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind. The energy is weak, with combined swell energy values mostly in the single digits or low twenties. It’s just not doing anything for us.

There’s a notable gap of several days with no surf worth paddling for. You’d be better off doing something else.

Finally, around Friday the 28th of August, there’s a bit of a pulse. The morning shows a 5ft swell from the northwest with a period of 7 seconds and combined swell energy hitting 209 – that’s moderate energy. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so conditions will be a little bumpy, but at least it’s surfable. This is a marginal call, but it’s the first real sniff of a wave in days. It’s not a standout, but it’s something.

Then Sunday the 30th of August sees the biggest swell of the period – 6ft from the northwest by the afternoon, with period bumping to 8 seconds and combined energy up to 369. That’s moderate-to-strong energy, but it’s coming with a moderate onshore breeze, so the waves will be a bit messy. This is really only for the experienced crew; 6ft in onshore wind can get lumpy and difficult.

Monday the 31st of August morning might be the pick of the bunch: 6ft from the northwest, period 8 seconds, combined energy of 373, with a light cross-onshore breeze. It’s still a bit lumpy, but the energy is there and it’s the most push we see in the whole window. If you’re an intermediate looking for something bigger, this is the one to aim for.

After that, things drop back again. Tuesday the 1st of September morning is glassy with a 4ft northwest swell, but the energy is down to 182 and the comment says it’s “surfable but very ordinary.” It’s clean, but not exciting.

Overall, the best chance for a bigger, more powerful wave is the morning of Monday the 31st of August, but conditions will be far from perfect. This break is exposed to the north, and the optimum direction is north, so the swell angle is okay, but the wind is the letdown. It’s a tough call, but that’s the reality.

Rusty.

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