La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you, I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and it ain't pretty. We've got a solid stretch of waves on the menu, but the wind is going to be the main course, and it's a bitter one.

First up, we got La Santa - El Quemao on the board starting Sunday morning. This is a heavy, expert-only reef break, and it's a consistent spot. But right off the bat, we got a fresh cross-onshore breeze from the NNE at 30 km/h making things lumpy. The swell is a mix of 6ft from the NNE with a short, weak 7-second period. The combined energy is moderate, reading 279. It's going to be messy, bumpy, and a real fight. The water temp is about average for the time of year, but with that wind, you won't notice.

The pattern holds through the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, same story: NNE winds, fresh and cross-onshore, lumpy conditions. Swell heights hover between 5ft and 6ft, all with that short, weak period. The energy stays in that moderate range, climbing to around 300 and 324 on a couple of days. It’s surfable for a big-wave charger, but it ain't going to be clean. We're looking at a real battle out there.

We see a slight shift on Friday, August 14th. The wind goes more cross-shore, but it’s still fresh and lumpy with a cross-chop. The swell stays around 5ft to 6ft, and the energy kicks up a notch to 363 on Friday afternoon. By Saturday, the energy peaks at 412, with 6ft of short-period swell. It’s the biggest push of the window, but it’s still messy. This is where the raw power of El Quemao could be on show, but the wind is going to be challenging even for the experts.

Into the second week, the wind does ease a bit. Sunday, August 16th, drops to a moderate breeze, but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy. The swell eases to 5ft and then drops to 3ft by Monday. The energy falls off too, down to 134. We’re in a lull. There’s a brief pulse of energy on Wednesday, August 19th, with a 6ft swell and the period stretching out to 8 seconds, but the wind is back up to a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy again.

After that, it’s more of the same. The wind stays fresh and cross-onshore through the 20th and 21st, with the swell hovering around 5ft to 6ft. The energy is moderate, in the 300s. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd sees the swell drop off to 4ft to 4ft, but the wind remains a problem. The period does stretch out to 9 seconds on Sunday, but it’s still cross-shore with a lumpy chop.

The last call is for Monday, August 24th, with a 5ft swell, but the wind is moderate cross-shore with a chop. It’s a weak end to a challenging fortnight.

So, what’s the verdict? The standout, if you can call it that, is the Saturday, August 15th session. That’s when the energy is at its highest (412) and the swell is at its biggest (6ft). But with that fresh cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a grinder. For most, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. For the few who are hell-bent on paddling out, bring your big board and your strongest paddle. This is a washing machine, not a point break. It’s a long stretch of poor conditions, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty, signing off.

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