El Penon Amador Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a 16-day window on the cards for El Penon Amador, but truth be told, it’s a bit of a grim stretch. This is a reef break that’s already inconsistent, and for the entire forecast period, every single session is tagged with “poor surf conditions.” There’s a run of flat or near-flat energy early on, and the wind is almost always coming from the ENE, blowing cross-shore, which means chop and mess. The water temperature is sitting at 84°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no drama there.

We start on Saturday, 1st August, with a morning of some clouds and a 4ft swell from the ENE, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a cross-shore 12 mph. The combined energy is weak (218). That afternoon, it drops to practically nothing. Sunday the 2nd is similar junk, and Monday the 3rd only offers 4ft at 7 seconds with 16 mph cross-shore winds. The energy is moderate at best (110). This pattern of small, short-period, wind-affected swell repeats for days. Through the first week, we see a slow drop in size, with the combined energy dipping below 100 (82, 65, 63) – that’s weak wave energy. The wind stays cross-shore, often a fresh breeze, so it's lumpy.

Around Saturday, 8th August, the swell tries to pick up again in the afternoon, hitting 4ft from the ENE, but with a strong breeze of 25 mph, creating a messy cross-chop. The energy jumps to moderate (141). This trend continues into the second week, with Sunday the 9th offering 5ft to 5ft from the E, but the period is still a short 6 seconds, and the wind is a strong 22 to 28 mph cross-shore. The energy is now moderate to strong (232). The cleanest conditions we see in the whole window are on Thursday, 13th August, when the wind turns slightly cross-offshore from the E at 22 mph, giving a clean look to the 5ft swell (243 energy). That’s the best the wind is going to get here, but the surf is still too small and short-period to be exciting.

By Friday, 14th August, the swell hits 6ft from the E, but it’s a short 7 seconds, and the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-shore again. The energy is strong (300), but the conditions are messy. That size and wind setup (6ft, short period, strong cross-shore) makes this a better look for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The same goes for the weekend of the 15th and 16th, with similar 6ft to 6ft junk.

There is no standout session in this 16-day run. The closest to a “best” is Thursday, 13th August, because the wind is clean, but the swell is still poor quality. It’s a long, blank run for this spot, and honestly, for an inconsistent reef break, that’s not unusual. The forecasts can change, but as it stands, I’d leave the boards at home.

Rusty.

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