El Murcielago Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, fellow wave hunters, Rusty here. We’re dialling into the forecast for El Murcielago over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be honest with you, it’s going to be a bit of a mixed bag, with some clean windows but a lot of ordinary to poor conditions too.

Looking at the big picture, there’s no real bash of swell coming. We’re mostly dealing with tiny, inconsistent pulses, but the key will be the wind. When that light offshore or glassy stuff lines up, the tiny waves will be rideable. If the cross-shore or cross-on wind gets up, it’ll be a write-off.

Right off the bat, Thursday morning the 13th is about as flat as it gets, with a tiny 1ft SW swell. The energy is weak (136), but the wind is glassy. You’ll be able to get wet on a log, but don't expect much push. By the afternoon, the cross-on wind kills it.

Friday the 14th morning looks a bit better. A 3ft WSW swell is building, and the cross-off wind from the SSW will leave the surface clean. The energy picks up to a moderate 398, but the 17-second period is long for such a small wave, so those sets will be far apart. Afternoon goes to trash with a 15 mph cross-breeze.

Saturday the 15th is where we see the best of the first week. The morning has 3ft of WSW groundswell, with a light cross-off breeze. The energy is moderate (420), and even though the period is still long (15 seconds), the clean conditions at El Murcielago will make for some fun, lined-up walls. This is your standout window for the early part. By afternoon, the wind swings onshore again.

Sunday the 16th through Monday the 17th is a write-off of cross and onshore winds chasing a fading swell. Not worth the paddle.

Tuesday the 18th morning offers a little redemption. The swell is back to a tiny 2ft, but the wind goes glassy from the SE. The energy is a moderate 256, and with a 13-second period, it’ll be weak but perfectly clean. A sneaky good session for the longboard or a fish.

From Tuesday afternoon all the way through to the 26th of August, it’s pretty bleak. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf quality, mostly tiny swells under 2ft getting chopped up by wind. There’s no run of consistent clean conditions in that second week.

There is a bit of a tease right at the end. On Friday morning, the 28th of August, the swell bumps back up to 1ft from the SW, with a very long 19-second period and flat calm, glassy conditions. The energy is a weak 191, but if you want a glassy, long-period line-up, this is the best of a poor second week. But remember, that is over two weeks away, so the forecast is less certain.

So, overall, keep your expectations low. The one true standout is Saturday morning, August 15th. It’s the biggest, cleanest swell of the window. The rest is a waiting game for the right wind window. If you’re a beginner, the small swell sizes are safe, but the long-period stuff on the bigger days might be a bit tricky for getting out.

Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty

Read more