El Medano Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight. I’ve looked at the charts for our stretch, and I’ll be honest with you, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. The swell is there, but the wind is going to be a constant thorn in our side. We’ve got a long window of poor conditions, but there might be one or two little windows where it might just be worth a paddle.

First up, here on the 18th, we’ve got a bit of life in the water. Swell is showing 2ft from the SSW with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is weak at 283. But it's messy. The ENE wind at 9 mph is blowing cross-onshore, which is making it fairly choppy. Not great, but at least the water temp is a comfortable 75°, which is about average for this time of year. It's a tough call, but there’s nothing rideable.

We roll into the 19th and 20th, and the swell bumps up a little, reaching 3ft, but the wind stays cross-onshore and gets a bit stronger at 12-15 mph. It’s just choppy and lumpy. The energy picks up to a moderate 381-423 on the 19th and 20th, but it doesn’t matter if the surface is blown out like that. It’s just not worth getting wet, honestly.

Through the 21st to the 24th, the swell slowly fades. We’re looking at 3ft dropping to 1ft. The wind is still cross-onshore, and on the 24th afternoon it picks up to a fresh 22 mph, making it lumpy. This is a write-off.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On the 25th, the swell direction swings around to the NE. It’s a short-period, weak windswell at 4ft but with a period of only 5 seconds. That is not a surfable wave. The wind is strong and cross-shore at 19-25 mph. This is not for surfboards. This is more like kite-surfing conditions. The whole setup from the 25th to the 28th stays messy, with strong winds and lumpy cross-chop. It’s going to be a battle just to get out.

We get a slight reprieve on the morning of the 29th. Swell shows 5ft from the NNE with an 8-second period. The energy jumps to a strong 401, but that period is still short and the wind is a moderate cross-shore at 12 mph. There’s some push here, but it’s still not going to be clean. It’s not a good look, but it’s the biggest swell we’ve seen in a while.

The 30th and 31st are similar. The 31st afternoon actually shows some promise with the energy jumping to a very strong 584, with the swell back from the SSW at 2ft and a long 16-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which is good for shape, but the moderate ENE cross-onshore wind at 15 mph will still mess it up. It's a tease.

Heading into September, the 1st has a bit of a window. Morning shows a light 3 mph ENE wind with 3ft swell from the SSW at a 15-second period. The energy is a strong 457. This is the standout, if you can call it that. The light wind means it will be clean, but it’s still small. That’s the best on offer, and it’s not saying much. The afternoon gets windy again. The 2nd is more of the same, back to the moderate winds and choppy conditions.

So, here’s the takeaway. This is a long stretch of onshore and cross-shore winds that will keep the surface messy. There’s no real standout event. The most promising window looks to be the morning of the 1st of September, when the wind finally drops. It’s a long way off, so don't get too excited, but it might just be worth a look. Otherwise, the kite surfers are going to have a field day with this wind.

Rusty.

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