El Porto Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get local and take a hard look at what’s coming our way over the next couple of weeks. It’s not going to be a classic stretch, so keep your expectations in check.

We’re looking at a long run of small, often messy surf. The water at El Porto Beach is sitting at a very unusual 71°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a nice surprise if you’re paddling out without a full suit.

The first real chance to get a clean wave comes on Friday morning, August 28th. The wind goes glassy, and the swell is a tiny 2ft from the SSW, but with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s a groundswell, so it’ll have some energy behind it, but at this size, it’s only going to offer up knee-to-waist high lines. The combined energy is moderate at 249. Because the swell is so small and the period is long, it’s strictly for the longboard or a funboard. Sunny, glassy, and no crowds to speak of? It’s worth a paddle for the soul.

Friday morning, August 28th is the standout. If you can sneak out, that’s the cleanest window of the whole 16-day outlook.

After that, we slide back into a pattern of small, onshore or cross-onshore wind. The swell picks up a little for the weekend of August 29th and 30th, with heights around 3ft to 3ft and combined energy numbers climbing into the moderate range (around 443 and 462), but the wind is mostly cross-onshore, and it’s just not clean. That morning of August 29th might show some potential with a 3ft, 17-second SSW swell, but the cross-on wind will chop it up. The same goes for the following weekend—September 4th to 6th—we see a similar pattern: small to moderate swells, but the wind never really cooperates for a clean session.

Honestly, from the end of August right through the first week of September, it’s a long stretch of "poor surf conditions" and "marginal surf" tags. The early morning windows on September 4th, 5th, and 6th all have 3ft SSW swells with solid periods (16-17 seconds) and combined energy of 405, 351, and 279, but the cross-on wind is just a buzzkill. It’s not going to be bad, but it’s not going to be good.

Looking further out, September 9th shows a bit of a pulse with a 2ft, 18-second SSW swell and combined energy hitting 426, but again, the wind is cross-on. It’s the same old story.

Bottom line: if you want a decent wave, your best bet is that Friday morning, August 28th. The rest of the forecast is a waiting game. For a beach break like El Porto, these long-period swells can be a bit tricky—they can break straight and close out. It's not kite-surfing weather, but it’s not a surfer’s paradise either.

Stay patient, boys and girls. The ocean will turn.

Rusty.

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