El Medano Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about El Medano. I’ve looked at the outlook and honestly, there’s nothing to get excited about for the next 16 days. The wind is a killer, and the swell is messy. Let’s run through it.

The overall pattern is persistent cross-onshore wind, mostly from the NE and ENE, with a bit of a chop to the water. The swell is coming from the wrong direction, too – straight out of the NE, which is cross-on for this beach and reef setup. The period is short, between 5 and 10 seconds, so it’s all windswell, not groundswell. There’s no clean, lined-up surf in sight.

From Sunday 19 July through to Monday 3 August, every single session is rated poor. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, with values like 305 (moderate), 583 (moderate), and 822 (moderate) – but even when the energy builds, the wind is fresh to strong breeze, sometimes near gale, and it’s always cross-onshore, making the surface messy and blown out. The swell heights range from 1 ft to 7 ft, but with that short period, it’s just bumpy and unappealing.

The water temperature is 73°F, which is about average for the time of year, so nothing to write home about there.

There is one small window of interest, but it’s not really for paddle surfing. On Monday 3 August, the swell direction finally swings around to SSW, which is the optimum direction for El Medano, and the period jumps to 12–13 seconds – that’s groundswell. But the height is only 1 ft, and the combined energy is a weak 100–116, so it’s tiny. The wind is still cross-onshore, though lighter, so it’ll be a bit cleaner. But honestly, for a spot that rarely breaks, this is a whisper, not a wave. For experts only, and even then, it’s a gamble.

The bottom line: there’s no standout session here. The surf is poor, the wind is wrong, and the direction is off for the whole 16-day window. The setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with that consistent cross-onshore breeze. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s not unusual – forecasts can change, but right now, I wouldn’t even bother checking the tide.

Rusty

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