El Muelle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a long-range look at what’s on offer for our local stretch.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, with a few small, clean windows but nothing to get too excited about for the first week. The main event looks to be a pulse of solid, but tricky, SW groundswell right around the middle of the spell.

Let’s break it down.

The first decent chance to get wet comes on Wednesday the 8th of July out at El Muelle. It’s a beach/pier setup exposed to the south. The ocean’s a touch warmer than average for this time of year, sitting at 51°. The morning sees a little 3 ft south-east swell with moderate offshore WNW wind, keeping things clean. The combined swell energy is moderate at (141). Not a classic, but a paddle-around wave for sure. The afternoon glassed right off with a light NW breeze, making conditions nicer but still just small.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th are write-offs with onshore wind messing everything up. Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th show cleaner conditions from a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is small, around 2 ft to 3 ft. There’s a longer-period ESE groundswell developing, which is a good sign, but it’s just not pushing enough water. These are near-marginal days for a longboard.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting for the more experienced crew. Monday the 13th of July we get a sudden jump in size. An 8 ft SW swell rolls in with a short period of 9 seconds, and combined energy climbs all the way to (1119). That’s a lot of water moving. Problem is, the wind is a messy cross-shore breeze, which will chop it up. Because the power is high, the paddle-out could be tough. This one is only recommended for the experts. I’d keep a close eye on the afternoon as the swell backs to 8 ft.

Tuesday the 14th of July is actually your most promising window if you’re not in the big-wave category. A new 5 ft SSW swell, coming in from the optimum SSE direction for El Muelle, combines with light offshore NNE winds in the morning. The period is a short, punchy 8 seconds, but the clean conditions from a cross-offshore breeze will make those peaks shape up nice. The combined energy is moderate at (378). This is the standout of the run for solid, fun, clean waves.

The rest of the week into the 20th of July is a mixed bag of smaller swells, strong onshore winds, and disappointing quality. The 18th of July sees a 6 ft ENE windswell, but it’s with a cross-offshore wind that will still make it a messy, choppy affair.

For the 22nd and 23rd of July, it looks pretty quiet again, with long-period groundswell potential not quite connecting with clean wind. The 23rd does show a glassy afternoon, but with only 2 ft of weak 8-second swell. It’s a session for the waterman who just needs a fix.

So, final call: Tuesday the 14th of July is your best bet. Get out there in the morning for a 5 ft SSW swell with clean offshore winds. It’s not huge, but it’s the best quality wave of the whole 16-day window. For the hard-core crew, Monday the 13th offers the biggest, most powerful swell, but be prepared for the battle with the cross-onshore chop.

Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

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