El Gringo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s see what El Gringo has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag, honestly. There’s a solid run of south-west groundswell moving through, but most of the time the conditions are just going to be “okay” rather than lighting it up. The real window to score is narrow, so you’ve got to be on it.

The first chance to get wet kicks off on the morning of Friday, September 4th. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the SW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is light and offshore, which is a huge plus. This is proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is sitting at 1238 (moderate), which is a good sign. The water temp is 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The catch is that the surf forecast is described as marginal, so don’t expect perfection. The afternoon picks up a little to 5ft, same direction, still offshore, but again, it’s a bit marginal.

Now, Saturday, September 5th is where things get interesting. The morning is clean and offshore with 5ft of SW swell, but the real magic happens in the afternoon. The wind goes glassy, totally calm, and we’ve got 4ft of SW swell with a 13-second period. The combined energy is 877 (moderate), but the forecast is saying “expect very good surf conditions.” This is the pick of the entire forecast period, folks. If you can only paddle out once, this is it. The reef will be working, and with that glass, it’ll be smooth as silk. Just keep in mind that crowds are possible here.

Sunday the 6th drops off a bit. The morning has a small 2ft swell with a very long 20-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be clean. The afternoon picks up slightly to 3ft with an 18-second period and offshore wind, but it’s still a marginal call.

From Monday the 7th all the way through to Wednesday, September 16th, we’re stuck in a bit of a lull. The swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, mostly from the SW or SSW, with periods dropping from 16 seconds down to 9 seconds. The wind stays offshore for most of it, which is nice, but the energy is weak (combined energy in the 300-800 range). The forecast consistently calls it marginal or poor. It’s not going to be a write-off, but it’s not going to get the heart pumping.

There is a flicker of hope on the afternoon of Friday, September 18th. The wind goes glassy again, and we get 4ft of SSW swell with a 10-second period and combined energy of 519 (moderate). The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is a solid second option, but it’s still two weeks out, so take it with a grain of salt. The morning of Saturday the 19th is looking poor, so don’t bank on that.

Overall, the best surf is the afternoon of Saturday, September 5th. Go get it while the getting’s good. The rest of the run is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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