El Porto Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for the next little while at El Porto Beach. We’ve got a long, drawn-out stretch of mainly small, choppy, and tricky conditions, but there are a couple of bright spots to hang your hat on if you’re patient.

The first week is a bit of a grind. We’re looking at a lot of weak, short-period energy coming in from the SW and SSW. The combined swell energy is well under 500 (256-424) for most of the first few days, so it’s not going to have much push. The wind is a cross or cross-onshore nearly every day, and the water is a wild 71° – that’s a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year, so you’ll be surfing in a bath. Honestly, for the first week, the surf is mostly poor or marginal, and the swell is too small for any real quality. There’s a lot of waiting around.

The real standout, the one you want to circle, lands on Friday, July 24th for the morning session. The swell is a tiny 2ft, but it’s from the SSW with a very long period of 24 seconds – that’s pure groundswell, and it’s packing a punch with a combined energy of 559 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SSE, which should clean things right up. This is a glassy morning where the wave shape will be way better than the size suggests. El Porto will be clean and fun, but remember, it’s a beach break, so that long period (over 15s) might make it a bit walled and straight. Still, for the size, this is the best chance of the whole period.

After that, we get a string of marginal mornings. The second week has a couple of promising early slots. On Tuesday, July 28th morning, we’ve got 3ft of SSW swell with a 17-second period, and the wind is light and cross-offshore from the S. The combined energy is strong at 633 (moderate). That’s a solid morning. Then Wednesday, July 29th morning is almost a carbon copy: 3ft from the SSW, 16-second period, and light cross-offshore wind from the SSE. Energy is still strong at 572. Both of these mornings are your best bets for a proper session with clean, lined-up waves, though the crowds at El Porto can be *often*, so expect company.

By the time we hit the first week of August, the swell starts to fade. Sunday, August 2nd morning has a small 3ft, but the period drops to 12 seconds and the energy is down to 260. The wind is light cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the punch is gone. After that, the run dries up.

So, bottom line: the first week is mostly a washout. The clear standout is the Friday, July 24th morning for the clean, long-period glass. The following Tuesday, July 28th and Wednesday, July 29th mornings are also solid, with better size and great wind. Don’t bother with the afternoons – they’re nearly all cross-onshore mess.

Stay patient, and you’ll get a couple of good ones.

Rusty.

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