El Muelle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, but in feet and miles for the numbers.

Mates, it's a long, slow start at El Muelle. The first week and a half is mostly a bust, with small, wind-affected slop and no real juice. But there’s a couple of windows if you can wait it out and pick your moment.

The water temp is about 50°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. Not a big deal.

Tuesday the 18th is a washout. A tiny 3ft swell from the ENE with a cross-onshore breeze from the SSW at 6 mph. Wave energy is moderate (407), but the conditions are poor. Don’t bother.

Wednesday the 19th has clean offshore winds in the morning, but the swell is only 3ft with a short period (7 seconds). The energy is weak (110). It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Thursday the 20th is flat and clean in the morning, with the swell barely 1ft and energy at 38. It’s a glass-off, but no waves. Afternoon gets lumpy.

Friday the 21st sees a jump to 6–7ft swell from the S, but the wind is howling from the SSW at 18 mph, making it choppy and messy. Energy is moderate to strong (517–768), but the quality is poor.

Saturday the 22nd shows promise. Morning brings an 8ft SSW swell with clean conditions and a cross-offshore wind. Energy is strong (1108). But 8ft is big for this break, pushing into expert-only territory. The afternoon gets bigger at 10ft with a lumpy cross-shore. For the brave only.

Sunday the 23rd is huge—12ft in the morning and 10ft in the afternoon, with a very long period of 12–13 seconds. The energy is massive (3785 and 2816). But the morning has cross-onshore wind, and the afternoon is too big for El Muelle. The forecast says it’s too big for the break. Not for the faint-hearted.

Monday the 24th backs off to a 7ft S swell with clean conditions and moderate energy (851). It’s a marginal call, and the afternoon gets messy.

From the 25th of August through the 31st, it’s a long, flat, and poor stretch. Swell sizes drop under 3ft, with very low energy and mostly poor winds. A full week of doldrums.

The standout is Tuesday, the 1st of September. The morning brings a clean 8ft SSW swell with a gentle cross-offshore breeze at 9 mph. Energy is moderate (779), and the conditions are described as “expect very good surf.” The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might see a few others, but it’s not packed. The swell direction (SSW) lines up well with the break’s optimum (SSE). This is the session to target for experienced surfers.

Wednesday the 2nd of September has 10–12ft SSW swell, but it’s too big for this break. Energy is very high (1289–2145). Experts only, and even then, it’s a maybe.

Bottom line: be patient. The best surf of the window is the morning of Tuesday, 1st September. Clean, solid, and well-shaped.

Rusty.

Read more