Hornitos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The outlook for Hornitos covers the full 16-day window, but honestly, it’s a slow start with a lot of marginal surf. The first few days are pretty lacklustre, so don’t be in a rush to get wet.

Kicking off Thursday morning August 13th, we’ve got a small southwest groundswell pushing in at 2 ft to 3 ft, coming from the WSW with a very long period of 18 seconds down to 17 seconds. The combined swell energy is moderate (466), which suggests there’s some push behind it, but the wave comment says it’s marginal. Winds are light westerly at 3 mph to 6 mph, which is offshore for that SW exposure, keeping things clean. The period is so long that at a beach break, those waves might be a bit too lined up and straight, but the offshore wind helps. For an intermediate, the size is fine, but it’s not blowing up.

The standouts in this whole 16-day stretch are tough to find. Honestly, the best-looking window falls on Tuesday afternoon, August 18th. We get a SW swell of 3 ft with a 13-second period, moderate combined swell energy (393), and the wind turns cross-offshore from the NNE at 9 mph. The guidance says “expect good surf conditions,” and that’s as good as it gets here. The break is consistent, so there should be waves coming through. Crowds are only sometimes an issue, so you might get a few out but nothing crazy. The water temperature is unremarkable for the time of year, so no need to overthink the rubber.

Before that, the days are a mix of small WSW to SW swells with periods dropping from 18 seconds to 13 seconds, and mostly light westerly offshore winds. The size stays between 2 ft and 4 ft, so it’s manageable but not exciting. From Sunday August 16th onward, the wind state gets messier, with cross-on directions and the wave energy weakening.

After that Tuesday afternoon window, things go downhill fast. From Thursday morning August 20th, it’s classified as poor surf through to the end of the forecast period. The swell drops below 3 ft by the 22nd, and the combined energy falls to between 155 and 90. The wind stays cross-on or offshore but light, so the issue is just lack of swell. The period gets short for a few days, down to 9 seconds, which is weak and weak. There’s even a small shot of 1.0 ft and 1 ft, with combined energy as low as 52 – barely a ripple.

There’s a tiny spike on August 26th and 27th with a WSW swell up to 3 ft and a long period of 19 seconds, but the wind is cross-on at 9 mph to 12 mph, and the conditions are still rated poor. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup with the moderate breeze and choppy water, not a priority for paddle surfing.

Bottom line: This isn’t a season-defining stretch. There’s not really a standout session worth chasing hard. The best bet is the Tuesday afternoon August 18th session for a few clean, lined-up waves. The rest? Just keep the board waxed and wait for better.

Rusty

Read more