El Corniche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: we’ve got a long, dry spell ahead. Not a lot of love in the water for the next couple of weeks. The El Corniche zone is looking pretty lacklustre, with only a few brief windows that might get you wet, but nothing worth calling in sick for.

The first real chance, if you can even call it that, is on the morning of Tuesday the 11th. We’re looking at a tiny 2ft swell from the NW, pushing through at a short 7 seconds. The energy is weak, with a combined swell energy of just 52. But the wind is glassy, out of the ESE at 6 mph. That’s the kind of clean surface that makes even the smallest waves feel special. It’s surfable, but it’s pretty ordinary. The break is exposed and rarely breaks, so on a day like this you’ll be scratching around for a dribble. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

For the rest of the first week, it’s mostly onshore slop. The wind swings around to the NW and NNW, blowing 9-12 mph, and that’s just going to chop up any of that already weak NW swell. There’s a slight bump on the Saturday afternoon, the 15th, where the swell pushes up to 3ft, but the energy is still weak at 102 and the onshore wind is going to make it messy.

We then hit a real dead zone from the 17th through to the 22nd. The swell drops away to nothing, mostly under 3ft, and the periods are down around 5-6 seconds. The combined swell energy falls to the low 20s and 30s, which is just plain weak. There’s a moment on the morning of Monday the 17th where offshore NW wind at 6 mph is paired with a marginal 3ft NW swell, but the period is 7 seconds and the energy is still under 100. It’s a gamble, and more than likely a frustrating one.

The last week of the window is barren. From the 18th onwards, it’s a long stretch of poor surf, mostly onshore winds, and tiny, weak swells. The only thing that even hints at life is the morning of Tuesday the 25th, where the swell direction shifts to WNW and the energy climbs to 116. But it’s still just 3ft at 7 seconds, and the wind is blowing 12 mph from the NNW, right onshore. That’s going to be a full-on paddle-fest for maybe a waist-high slop.

So, where’s the best? Honestly, that Tuesday morning on the 11th is your only real shot at something clean, but it’s tiny. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. If not, I’d be looking at other things for the next couple of weeks. With this kind of onshore wind and weak, short-period swell, the setup at El Corniche is going to be more friendly for a kite than a surfboard. It’s a pretty grim outlook, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. The breaks are mostly inconsistent, so this blank run isn’t all that unusual. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the board in the car and the expectations low.

Rusty.

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