La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, let’s have a look at what’s cookin' for La Santa - El Quemao.

Honestly, mate, this is a rough stretch for one of the most famous left-hand reef slabs on the planet. The wind just won’t play ball. The entire 16-day window is dominated by cross-onshore and cross winds, mostly from the north and north-northeast, and they’re not light either – we’re looking at fresh breezes of 15 to 22 mph for the majority of the first two weeks. That’s going to keep the surface lumpy and choppy, which is a real shame because there is some serious swell energy in the water at times.

For an expert-wave like El Quemao, you need it clean, and it just isn’t.

We start Wednesday the 26th of August with a small 3ft north swell at a short 8 seconds, but a moderate N breeze is already cross-onshore, making for poor conditions. The water temp is sitting at a pleasant 75°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The swell builds through the end of August and into the first week of September. Friday the 28th sees the swell push to 6ft and 7ft, but with a fresh 22 mph NNE wind creating lumpy cross-chop. The combined wave energy hits 272 and 445 (moderate energy), but it’s a write-off for clean surfing.

The biggest pulse comes around Saturday the 29th of August. We see a 6ft swell from the NNW with a period jumping to 11 seconds, pushing the combined energy up to 705 (moderate to strong energy). That’s a proper groundswell pulse, the kind that can really unload on the reef. But again, that wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-shore, creating lumpy conditions. It’s a tease. From there, we stay in the 5ft to 7ft range through the first week, with wave energy flirting with the 500-700 mark, but it’s all cross-onshore chop.

There’s a slight flicker of hope around Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September. The wind finally swings around to a light offshore from the NNW and NW at 9 mph. At the same time, we have a consistent 5ft and then 4ft north swell with an 8-second period, and the wave energy drops to the 200-300 range. This is the best chance to get a clean, rideable wave, but it’s nothing compared to the raw power earlier in the forecast. It’s a one or two-day window where a dedicated charger might find a few proper ones before the cross-onshore NNE wind returns.

After that window, from the 5th of September through the 10th, it slowly fades back into choppy, cross-on blown waves with inconsistent energy. Right at the end, Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th see the swell again pushing 5ft to 6ft, but the wind is still moderate cross-onshore. It’ll be a heavy, messy closeout for most.

So what’s the call? If you’re an expert paddler who can handle a mess, that first week has the power but the wrong wind. The only real standout, and I mean the only one worth pointing a finger at, is the Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th of September. The wind is light offshore from the NW, and the swell is a consistent 5ft from the north (optimum direction for Quemao is WNW, so it’s a bit side-angle, not perfect). It’s not big, but for once it’s going to be *clean*. That’s the window to aim for. Everything else is a battle.

Be prepared for crowds at this spot, especially if it cleans up. It’s a world-class wave that rarely gets clean in the summer, so if there is a window, there will be people.

Rusty.

Read more