El Gringo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty. Right, let's have a yarn about what's on the cards for El Gringo. We got a bit of a flat spell to kick things off but there's some decent juice coming down the line. Don't get too excited about the first few days; the surf is small but the conditions are clean. It's the stuff right at the end of the month and into early September that's got my attention, even if it comes with a few question marks for the experts.

Alright, so surf shows up from Thursday August 20th. Water temp is sitting at 65°F, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Thursday morning is looking like the best of the first window. We’ve got a clean 4ft SSW swell with a period of 9 seconds, but here’s the score – the wind is glassy, flat calm from the WNW at just 3 mph. That’s going to make El Gringo look like a mirror. The combined wave energy is moderate at 617. It’s not a big session but for a cheeky Thursday morning paddle, she'll be fun.

Thursday arvo drops off to 3ft and the wind goes onshore from the SW, so it gets a bit messy. Friday morning the 21st is even smaller at 2ft from the SW with a cross-on breeze, so give that a miss. Friday arvo cleans up again to glassy conditions but with only 2ft waves, it’s more of a longboard cruise than a proper surf.

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd dish up similar vibes. Mornings are glassy with 3ft to 3ft SSW swell. The energy drops from 272 down to 238, so it’s on the weaker side of moderate. Fun for a few turns if you’re keen, but nothing to write home about. Monday the 24th is a write-off with cross-onshore wind and poor surf, so save your energy.

Tuesday the 25th sees a slight uptick. Morning glass again with 3ft of SSW swell, but the period stretches to 11 seconds, which brings a bit more shape. Energy jumps back up a notch. That’s the best of the small stuff.

Now, from August 27th, things get interesting, but it’s a mixed bag. Thursday the 27th has a wild 21-second period SW groundswell but it’s only 2ft on the morning – that’s more of a weird pulse than a wave. The arvo lifts to 3ft but the wind is onshore.

The real standout is looking like Friday August 28th. We get a solid 6ft SW groundswell in the morning with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy jumps to a strong 2323. Now, the wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect. But for an advanced spot like El Gringo, that’s a lot of swell energy. By the arvo, it’s 8ft with a 17-second period and energy over 3000. That’s serious. The catch is the wind is onshore all day, so it’s going to be a bumpy, powerful beast. Only for the experts. This continues into Saturday the 29th with 8ft swell and cross-onshore wind in the morning. It’s maxed out size-wise and the energy is still through the roof. For a reef break like El Gringo, that long-period SW groundswell is going to barrel hard but it will be a battle to get out.

Sunday the 30th drops a little to 7ft of SW swell, still big and powerful but easing. The wind stays onshore. By Monday the 31st, it’s dropping into the 5ft range with period going back to 12 seconds. It starts to become more manageable, but those onshore winds keep it from being a perfect day.

Into September, the 1st is small again. The next real blip is on Wednesday September 2nd with 3ft morning swell but a 18-second period, which is a weird combo. The arvo on the 2nd looks a bit better with 4ft from the SW and a 17-second period. Energy is back over 1000, so it’s got some push. The wind goes onshore, though.

For me, the pick of the whole 16 days is Thursday morning August 20th – it’s the cleanest, most user-friendly wave on offer. For the experienced crew wanting to get truly wired, Friday August 28th into Saturday the 29th is your big, challenging window. It's raw and powerful but you’d want to be on your game. The late stuff into the first week of September has promise (like Thursday the 3rd with 5ft SW groundswell) but the onshore setups keep it from being a standout.

So as always, pick your moment. The early glassy mornings are where the magic lives.

Rusty

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