Hornitos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what we've got coming up at Hornitos. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel if you can wait.

Right now, we're in a pretty flat spell. The opening days, from Friday 21st August right through the rest of the week, are looking pretty ordinary. The swell is tiny, only around 1 to 3 ft, and it's coming from the SW. The wind is mostly on it or cross-onshore, so it's not going to be clean. This is a period to sit out. Honestly, the combination of tiny swell and poor conditions means the wave energy is weak. Not worth paddling out for.

We do see a glimmer of something on Sunday morning the 23rd. The swell is still a tiny 1 ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy. It’s surfable but very ordinary. It’s not going to get your heart racing, but if you’re desperate for a splash, it’s the cleanest it'll be all weekend.

Then we hit a real dry spell. Monday 24th through to Wednesday 27th August is mostly poor with tiny, weak swell and cross-onshore winds. Nothing to recommend there.

Finally, things start to get interesting. The standout period looks to be kicking off around Friday 28th August. We get a solid pulse of SW swell jumping to 7 ft with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the energy is cranking. This is proper groundswell. For a spot like Hornitos, which is fairly exposed to the SW, this could line up really well. The morning looks best with a light offshore wind from the W. Keep in mind this swell is getting big; at 7 ft it’s getting into the expert-only territory. That long period of 16 seconds also means it might break a little straight, but for a SW-exposed spot, there should be some nice lines. The water temp at Hornitos is currently 65°F, which is about 5° warmer than usual for this time of year, so you’re looking at a much warmer than normal session.

The swell does back off a touch over that weekend, from 5 to 6 ft on the 29th and 30th of August, but the W wind holds in the mornings, keeping the conditions clean. The wave energy stays substantial. This is a great window.

Looking into the first week of September, the swell drops back again. From Monday 1st September onwards, we’re back to smaller SW swell, around 3 to 5 ft, but the afternoons get chopped up by a 15 km/h SW wind. The mornings with a light W wind will be the better bet, but the wave energy is only moderate.

There’s another promising pulse showing up on the charts for Saturday 5th September. That SW groundswell is forecast to pump up to 5 to 6 ft with a 16-second period and strong energy. It's a week and a half away, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the raw numbers are mouth-watering. The only caveat is that the wind looks like it might be cross-onshore or onshore, so it might not be as clean as the late August window.

Best bet for this period: If you can only pick one window, make it Friday 28th August through Sunday 30th August. That Friday morning with the 7 ft SW swell and light offshore wind at Hornitos is the standout. It's big, it's clean, and the energy is there. For the brave, it’s going to be pumping.

Rusty.

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