El Huaico Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for El Huaico.

Honestly, mates, it's a tricky stretch ahead. We've got a solid 16-day window, but the surf is going to be a bit of a tease. For a spot that's a reef setup and usually pretty consistent, this forecast has a lot of "marginal" written all over it. The first week is the most interesting, but you've got to pick your moments. The water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is a whopping 9°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that's very unusual, and you'll definitely notice it.

The main source of energy is a long-period S/SW groundswell that pushes the combined energy readings up to three-digit and even four-digit values at times, like the 936 on Thursday morning, or the 1336 on Thursday afternoon. That energy is real, but the problem is the wind. Most of the time, it's a light cross or cross-onshore breeze, which is just enough to put a little crinkle on the face.

For the first half of the week, we're looking at a slow burner. Wednesday the 12th is a non-starter with a light cross-onshore and a score that just doesn't stack up. Thursday the 13th is where you want to be paying attention. The morning session has some clean potential – 3ft of swell, but it's a long-period 18-second wave from the SW with light cross winds. The energy reading is 936. That's a proper groundswell. It'll be walled up at a beach break, but for a reef like this, that kind of period can be magic. The afternoon pushes the energy to 1336 as the swell bumps up to 4ft, though the wind picks up a bit to 15 km/h, creating some slight cross-chop. Still, Thursday is the standout of the entire run.

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are consistent with the same trend – 5ft to 5ft of SW groundswell with 14-16 second periods, but that light cross-wind keeps things from being truly perfect. The energy holds strong in the 842 to 1218 range. It's rideable, but not the "drop everything" kind of day.

The middle of the second week, around Tuesday the 19th, the swell drops a bit in quality. The period shortens to 9 seconds and the combined energy drops, which tells you it's losing its grunt. The wind does go offshore for a moment on Thursday the 20th, coming from the WNW at 15 km/h, but with a 9-second period and 7ft of swell, that's a lot of wind-affected, shorter-period bump that will be messy on the reef.

After the 21st of August, it really starts to fade. The swell drops below 3ft and the energy plummets into the low 200s to 300s. There's a gap of several days from the 22nd through the 25th where there is no good surf on offer. A few pulses of long-period SW swell appear again on the 26th and 27th with 16-18 second periods, but with only 2ft to 4ft of swell, it's going to be weak and very inconsistent.

If you're looking for the best, it's Thursday the 13th. Get on it early for the glassy potential of that 18-second groundswell, or accept a bit of texture in the afternoon for the bigger energy. After that, the run is average at best. No one spot is a clear winner over another, but for this reef, the long-period groundswell on its own *is* the highlight.

Rusty.

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