El Murcielago Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here.

To be straight with you, the outlook for the next couple of weeks is a slow burn. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, poor quality days ahead before any real action turns up. The first week and a bit is mostly a write-off, with hardly any size and messy winds. But there is a payoff later on.

The main spot we’re watching is El Murcielago (Nicaragua). This break is a very consistent, exposed NW swell magnet, but for the first week, the swell is tiny—ranging from 0.66 ft to 1.3 ft—and the wind is cross or cross-onshore most of the time, leaving the surf poor. The water temperature is running at 80°, which is about much warmer than normal for this time of year.

The first sign of life shows up on Friday morning, August 28th, with 1.3 ft of WSW swell and 18 second period, but the energy is still weak (213 combined energy) and it’s only considered marginal due to light cross-shore winds.

Saturday morning, August 29th, the swell gets up to 3.3 ft from the WSW, with a clean cross-off breeze. The energy picks up to moderate (533 combined energy), but the surf is still marginal. It’s not until Sunday morning, August 30th, that we see a real glimmer. A 2.95 ft SSW swell with clean cross-off winds (SSW 9 mph) offers the first good surf conditions of the period.

But the real standout I’m talking about comes on Thursday morning, September 3rd. That’s when the stars finally align. The swell holds at 1.97 ft from the WSW, but the period stretches all the way out to 19 seconds—a very long period groundswell. The wind goes completely glass (0 mph). The combined energy is solid at 290. This is the pick of the bunch, and it will be clean as a whistle. That long period will hold up best on the point or reef there, giving you proper shaped lines with nice long lulls between sets.

Then, right after that, Friday morning, September 4th is also a cracker. We get a bigger push of 2.95 ft SW swell, 17 second period, with a clean cross-off breeze again. The energy is strong at 445. That’s another morning to circle on the calendar.

Beyond that, Monday morning, September 7th, is also looking promising with 2.95 ft SW swell and glassy conditions.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly flat or messy. Don’t bother paddling out until the very end of August, and even then, it’s just okay. The Thursday 3rd September morning is the absolute best session on offer—clean, glassy, groundswell. The Friday 4th September morning is a close second. Get out there for those windows.

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