La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up about this one. We’ve got our eyes on La Santa - El Quemao, a heavy reef setup that only the experts should even think about paddling out at. The whole 16-day window is a tough watch, honestly. There’s a long stretch of poor conditions right from the start, so don’t expect much action for a while.

Looking at the first few days, from Thursday the 20th of August right through to around Wednesday the 26th, it’s a write-off. We’ve got cross-onshore winds howling at 15 to 18 mph, making the surface lumpy and choppy. The swell is there, bouncing between 4ft and 6ft, mostly from the N or NNW, but the period is short, around 6 to 8 seconds, so the waves are weak and messy. The combined swell energy is low to moderate, sitting between 135 and 442 – nothing that’s going to make you ditch work for.

Then from Thursday the 27th of August all the way through to the 31st, the wind stays ugly, strong and cross or cross-onshore, gusting over 25 mph at times. The swell builds significantly, hitting 8ft from the NNE, but with a period of just 6 to 8 seconds, it’s just a big, blown-out mess. The energy picks up, getting into the strong range (570 to 1013), but with those horrible wind conditions, this is genuinely more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. This is expert-only territory anyway, and with these winds, it’s a skip.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After all that wind, we finally get a window. On Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September, the wind drops to a glassy 3 mph from the ENE. The swell is still a solid 8ft from the NNE, period is only 8 seconds, so it’s not groundswell, but the wave energy is strong (657). For this slab, that glassy morning is the standout. A break this heavy, with that much water moving around, going completely glassy is a rare gift. It’s going to be raw, powerful, and only for the hardcore crew, but it’s the one moment in the whole 16 days that looks truly tempting.

The Thursday and Friday the 3rd and 4th of September backslide into light cross-onshore breezes again, with 8ft to 8ft of NNE swell. The energy stays high, but the wind and short period keep it from being memorable.

So, the bottom line: ride the glassy morning on the 2nd of September at La Santa - El Quemao if you’ve got the stones. Otherwise, save your energy. This spot rarely gives you an easy day, and the first ten days here are a right-off.

Rusty.

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