El Huaico Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s doing for El Huaico. This is a reef break, and it’s very consistent, so it’s always got something on offer. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there.

Truth be told, the outlook for the next 16 days is a bit of a grind. We’re looking at a whole lot of “marginal” surf with the wind never quite getting it right. The combined swell energy is moderate for most of the period, sitting around 700 to 900 (moderate wave energy), but the wind is nearly always cross-on or cross-shore, so it’s going to be a bit bumpy and messy. The swell is coming from the SSW, which is close to the optimum S direction, but it’s just not clean.

Starting Wednesday the 15th, we’ve got 5ft to 5ft of SSW swell with a 13-second period, which is a decent groundswell, but the wind is cross-on. That means chopped-up lines. The morning of the 15th is the best of a bad bunch with a score of 2, but it’s still “light cross-onshore with small wind ripples.” That’s the story for the next few days: waves are there, but the wind is spoiling the party.

Thursday the 16th through to Sunday the 19th is the same story. Swell holds around 4ft to 5ft, period dropping from 13 down to 11 seconds, but the wind is always cross or cross-on. It’s surfable, but you’ll be working for it. The combined energy stays moderate, dropping from 962 down to 564 by Sunday afternoon.

Then Monday the 20th is a write-off. Swell drops to 3ft and the energy is poor. No point paddling out.

Tuesday the 21st sees a little pulse back up to 5ft, but again, cross-on wind. The trend continues through to the 23rd, with a small increase in swell to 6ft on Thursday the 23rd, but the period is short (8 seconds) and the wind is on it.

Now, here’s the interesting bit. From Friday the 24th, we get a shift. The wind turns onshore from the W and WSW, and the swell builds. On Friday the 24th afternoon, we’ve got 7ft of SSW swell at 13 seconds, and the combined energy is a strong 1957 (strong wave energy). That’s a lot of power, but it’s onshore wind. For a reef break, that’s going to be a washing machine. This is expert-only territory, if it’s even rideable. The morning of the 24th is 5ft with onshore wind, energy at 1355.

Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th keep the swell going, with 5ft to 6ft from the SSW, onshore wind, but the energy is still strong. It’s big and powerful, but ugly.

The very end of the run, Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th, the swell period gets really long. We’re talking 17-18 seconds on Monday, with 4ft to 4ft of swell. That’s a very long period groundswell, which for a beach break would be a bit straight, but being a reef, it could line up. The problem is the wind. It’s cross-on and cross-shore, so it’s still not clean. The energy is high, 1534 on Monday afternoon, but the conditions are messy.

The best bet, if you’re desperate, is the morning of Wednesday the 29th. We’ve got 6ft of SSW swell at 14 seconds, with a light cross-shore wind. The combined energy is strong at 1352, and the score is a 3. That’s the highest we see. The wind is “light cross-shore with small crossing wind ripples,” which is a bit better, but still not glassy. It’s the standout of a very average outlook.

Honestly, this is a tricky run. El Huaico is a consistent reef, but the wind is just never in our favour. If you’re a real local and know the bank, you might get a few, but for most, it’s going to be a frustrating few weeks. The big swell on the 24th and 25th is more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfing.

Stay patient, and hope the forecasts change. This is one of those stretches where a blank run is more normal for the area.

Rusty

Read more