Hornitos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get stuck into it. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, with a pretty quiet start and then a proper pulse of energy coming through later on. We’re looking at Hornitos for the whole run, and while it’s not going to be firing non-stop, there are a couple of windows that will be worth your while if you can pick them right.

The water’s sitting at 65.3°, which is a good 4.9° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s a noticeable jump, so you can probably get away with a thinner suit for a while longer.

Right now, and for the first week or so, it’s pretty underwhelming. We’ve got small swell rolling in, mostly around the 3.3ft to 4.3ft mark, with the occasional bump up to 4.9ft or 5.2ft on the Thursday afternoon. The energy is moderate at best, with combined swell energy values in the 300 to 900 range. The wind is mostly light, but it’s often from a cross-on direction, which will put a bit of texture on the surface. The morning of Thursday the 6th has a clean, light offshore wind, but the swell is small and the tide looks questionable. Friday the 7th morning is similar, with a bit less energy. It’s not going to be a total closeout, but you’ll be scratching around for anything with a decent shape. The period is around 12 to 14 seconds, which is a decent groundswell, but there just isn’t enough size or clean wind to make it exciting.

The weekend and into the start of the next week is more of the same, with small, weak swell and a lot of cross-on breeze. The swell period does extend to 14 to 15 seconds on a few occasions, which is promising for the longer term, but the size just isn’t there. The combined energy stays in the moderate range, between 500 and 1000. You’d be surfing for the sake of being out there, not for the waves.

Then things start to change. As we move into the middle of the second week, around the 17th and 18th, there’s a slight lift in consistency, but the size is still small. The real standout is shaping up for Wednesday the 19th and into Thursday the 20th. The swell jumps up to 6.2ft to 7.2ft, with a solid southwest direction that matches what Hornitos wants. The period is a proper 15 to 16 seconds, so this is a powerful, long-period groundswell. The combined energy values are strong, hitting over 2000 on the 19th and again on the 20th afternoon. The wind is the catch, though. On the 19th, it’s light and offshore, which is going to make it clean and glassy. That’s your best window. The 20th, the wind picks up and turns cross-on, chopping it up a bit, but the swell is still there. It’s pushing 5.9ft to 7.2ft, which is getting into the territory where it’s not for beginners, and on the 20th, with the onshore wind, it’s going to be a bit more challenging.

The 21st sees the swell still solid at around 7.2ft, but the wind is a problem again, coming in cross-on at 15 km/h.

So, for the whole 16-day stretch, the standout is definitely Wednesday the 19th. That’s the one. Light offshore wind, solid southwest swell at 6.2ft to 7.2ft, with a long 15-16 second period, and strong wave energy (2114 to 2233). It’s going to be holding some proper lines. The Thursday the 20th morning is also a contender, but the wind is going to make it less clean. The rest of the time, you’re looking at small, weak, and often bumpy conditions. The first week is a write-off for any real quality, so you might want to find something else to do. But keep an eye on that 19th, it should be worth the wait.

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