El Porto Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's look at what's on the table for El Porto over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough stretch. We're looking at a long, drawn-out run of pretty average conditions. There's no real standout swell hitting us, and the wind patterns are going to be a persistent nuisance, mostly coming from the WSW, keeping things cross-onshore and choppy for the majority of the time.

Early Week (Now through September 9th)

We start on Thursday the 3rd with tiny 2ft SSW swell at a super long 18 seconds. The water is way warmer than normal for this time of year at 74°, but the cross-on breeze has it all chopped out. The combined energy is weak (304). Honestly, the first real glimmer of hope shows up on Friday the 4th morning. The swell bumps up slightly to 3ft from the SSW, with a solid 17-second period (moderate energy at 431). The wind swings SE, giving us a clean, cross-off breeze. It's surfable, but the swell is small.

The weekend (5th & 6th) sees the swell nudge up a bit more, hitting 3ft from the SSW with 15-16 second periods. Saturday morning has borderline tide issues and light cross-on wind, while Sunday morning is much the same – marginal. The swell energy does climb into the moderate range, peaking at 564 on Sunday morning, but the onshore component messes with the shape.

Monday the 7th morning has the best swell height of this period: 4ft from the S at 14 seconds, with a moderate 697 energy reading. It sounds promising, but the wind is light cross-on from the SW, leaving it just marginal. Every afternoon this week gets ruined by a cross-onshore wind picking up again. Things taper off again mid-week, with the swell dropping and the wind getting worse.

The Lull (September 10th – 17th)

After the 9th, we hit a real wall. From the 10th through the 17th, the surf gets tiny and weak. For a few days there's almost nothing of note. The energy numbers drop below 200, and swell heights fall to 2ft or less. It's a proper quiet spell. The winds largely stay cross-onshore, and the surf quality is consistently poor.

A Late Hope (September 18th)

Just when you think it's all over, there's a flicker of light on Friday the 18th. The morning looks clean again with the wind shifting to a cross-off SSE breeze. The swell is still small at 2ft, but it's from the SW with a very long 20-second period, giving it a moderate energy kick (326). That long period will help it wrap in with a bit more push, but at that size, it's still only going to be fun on a longboard. By the afternoon, the onshore wind returns.

The Pick of the Bunch

If you're desperate for a paddle, the best moments are Friday morning, September 4th and Friday morning, September 18th. Both offer clean conditions with a light offshore or cross-off wind. The swell is small on both – 3ft and 2ft respectively – but the clean, glassy texture will make it feel better than it is. It's not going to be epic, but it's about as good as it gets in this forecast.

Bottom Line: El Porto is an exposed beach break, and with the persistent onshore winds and small swell, this setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the fortnight. The water is much warmer than usual, so don't let the lack of surf put you off a wetsuit-free session on the clean days.

Rusty.

Read more