El Huaico Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a look at your local surf for the next 16 days. Let’s be straight with each other—this isn’t a blockbuster period. We’re at El Huaico, a reef break for advanced surfers, and it’s very consistent, but the waves are mostly small and the conditions are pretty average. The water is sitting at 69° and that’s 7° warmer than usual for this time of year, which is very unusual. A bit of a weird one for the water temp.

The first few days (Tuesday through to Thursday) are a bit of a write-off. Swell is under 3 ft with a 12 second period, and the combined energy is weak to moderate (660 to 630). The winds are light, but they’re cross-on, so the surf is poor. Not much to get excited about.

Things start to pick up on Thursday the 3rd of September morning. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the SW with a 17 second period—that’s a proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy climbs to strong (1065) and the wind is light cross-onshore. It’s still marginal, but you can start to see the shape improving. By Friday the 4th, the swell hits 6 ft from the SW, period 16 seconds, and the energy is strong (1580). The wind is light cross-shore. This is the standout period. It’s the best on offer, but at 6 ft it’s getting a bit big for beginners—this is for advanced surfers. The long period means the waves will have good shape but might break a bit straight on this reef setup. Saturday morning the 5th sees 5 ft SW swell, 14 second period, moderate energy (898), with light cross-onshore winds. It’s still marginal but worth a look if you missed Friday.

From Sunday the 6th, the swell drops back to 4 ft and the energy stays moderate (960 to 874). The winds are cross-on, and it’s marginal. The rest of the first week and into the second week is a slow slide. The second week (from the 8th of September) is a real grind. The swell is mostly 3 ft to 4 ft, periods varying from 8 to 16 seconds, and the energy is moderate (1006 down to 350). The wind is light to gentle, but it’s either cross-on or cross-shore, so the surf is marginal at best, and often poor. There’s a brief moment on the 13th of September morning where the wind is light offshore from the WSW, but the swell is only 4 ft from the S with a short 8 second period—wind swell, not much power (379 energy). Not worth the paddle.

The real standout is Friday the 4th of September afternoon through to Saturday morning the 5th. If you’re an advanced surfer, that’s your window. The swell direction is SW, which matches the optimum direction for this spot, and the energy is strong. The rest of the period is pretty average. For a spot that’s very consistent, it’s a bit of a flat run, but it doesn’t stay poor for long around here.

Rusty

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