El Corniche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got for El Corniche over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, there’s no surf worth paddling for right now and the first week is going to be a real struggle. We’re looking at a gap of about 13 days before anything even gets a bit interesting. Most of the calls are for poor conditions, with onshore winds messing things up and the swell staying small and weak. You can feel the frustration in the energy readings – they’re ugly, the swell height is tiny, and the period is short.

In the near term, the morning of Tuesday the 18th is the only flicker of hope. We get a glassy surface with a light wind, which is a big positive for clean conditions. Swell sits at 3.3 ft from the NNW, with a short 7-second period and combined energy of only 105 – that’s weak, so don’t expect much punch. It’s described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," so you’d be scraping for knee-high lumps. Not a standout.

Things stay flat and windy right through until the very end of the window. The morning of Wednesday the 26th sees a slight improvement – 3.9 ft from the NNW, 7-second period, moderate wave energy at 127. Still onshore wind though, so it’ll be bumpy. Marginal.

The only proper standout in the whole outlook lands on Sunday the 30th of August. The morning shows a solid 7.2 ft swell from the NW, with a 8-second period and strong energy of 639. This is a decent-sized, chunky swell. The wind is onshore at 12 mph though, so it won’t be clean, and at that size – over 8.2 ft in the afternoon at 7.9 ft – it’s only for experienced surfers. El Corniche is a rarely breaking, exposed spot that needs the right conditions, and this might be the only time it fires. But with the cross-onshore wind in the afternoon, expect chop. For the morning, it’s a marginal call but the best we get.

Given the persistent onshore winds and beach setup, if you’re into kiting, the afternoons with 12 mph side-onshore might be more your thing than paddle surfing.

Water temp is sitting at 84.2°F, which is a good 4.1°F warmer than average for this time of year – that’s pretty notable, so you’ll be in for a warm one if you do get in.

Overall, this is a dry run for surfers. Hold tight.

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