El Corniche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for El Corniche over the next two weeks, and I’ll be honest—it’s a bit of a desert for a while. Most of the period is flat, messy, and not worth paddling for, but there are a couple of bright spots right at the end if you’re patient.

The first week and a half is lean. From now until around the 23rd of September, we’re looking at tiny waves. Swell heights sit between 1ft and 4ft, with short periods of 5 to 7 seconds—just wind slop with no push. The combined wave energy is weak, readings like 24, 19, 11—all under 100. Winds are mostly cross-on or onshore with moderate breezes making it choppy and ugly. One Thursday morning (17th) goes glassy, but with only 1ft on offer, you’re just floating. Water temperature is a toasty 84°F, a couple degrees warmer than usual for this time of year—nice if you’re just having a swim.

Then things start to wake up around the 24th. Thursday the 24th of September sees the swell jump to 6ft from the NNW with an 8-second period, and the combined energy hits 493 (moderate). The catch? The wind is a gentle cross-onshore in the morning, making it fairly choppy, then goes onshore in the afternoon. It’s a marginal day, but at least there’s some size. Friday the 25th holds around 5ft with similar issues—cross-shore wind and chop.

The true standout, the one you want to circle on your calendar, is Saturday the 26th of September. The morning session is the best of the whole forecast. We’ve got a solid 6ft swell from the NNW, period 7 seconds, combined wave energy of 289 (moderate). But here’s the magic: the wind is from the ENE at a gentle 9 mph, blowing cross-offshore. That means clean, lined-up surf. It’s not a long-period groundswell, so it’ll be a bit more forgiving at a beach break like this. The water’s still warm, and crowds are only “sometimes”—you might share a few waves, but it won’t be packed. Saturday morning is your go.

Sunday the 27th morning is a solid backup: 5ft from the NW, 8-second period, combined energy 257, with clean cross-offshore wind from the east at 9 mph. A bit smaller but still good. Monday the 28th morning holds similar with 4ft and clean winds—reliable but not the highlight.

After that, it fades into small, choppy junk again from the 29th onward.

So the bottom line: there’s a long gap of over a week with barely any rideable waves, then one clear winner—Saturday the 26th morning at El Corniche. Keep your board ready. Forecasts can change, but that’s your best shot.

Rusty.

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