El Sardinero - Primera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the stretch ahead. It’s a bit of a weird one for the Sardinero region. The long-range charts are showing some pulse of energy, but honestly, it’s mostly a waiting game. The first week and a half are going to be a struggle, so don’t get your hopes up for any heroics. We’re looking at a lot of small, weak, and messy surf. The water is sitting at 72°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, a small silver lining while we wait for something to show.

The opening days are pretty bleak. Through the 4th, we’re looking at nothing but small, weak swell with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore breeze. Waist-high slop at best. The combined energy is just pitiful, stuck in the 20s and 30s (a sign of very weak wave energy). There’s no push, no shape, just a lot of whitewater. You’d be better off with a longboard and zero expectations, or just not paddling out at all.

We get a bit of a tease on the morning of the 5th with some glassy conditions, but the swell is even smaller, so it’s still not worth the effort. It’s just a pretty ocean with nothing to ride. That’s the kind of cruel joke this stretch of weather likes to play. The morning of the 6th sees a slight bump in energy, up to 69 (weak wave energy), but the wind turns onshore again, chopping up what little there is. It's a frustrating pattern.

The first real glimpse of life appears on the morning of Sunday, the 9th. The swell finally shows some signs of waking up. We’re looking at head-high waves at 4ft from the NW with a period of 8 seconds. The energy jumps to 223, which is moderate wave energy. And the best part? The wind is forecast to be glassy. This looks like the first clean, surfable session of the period. It’s still not going to be perfect, but it's a huge step up from the dribble we've had. The afternoon backs off again, so the morning session is the window.

From the 10th, it drops back into the poor category again. The energy stays moderate, but the winds go onshore and the size backs off. There’s a small, glassy window again on the morning of the 11th, but only chest-high at 2ft and the period is a short 7 seconds, which makes it weak and crumbly.

The long-range signal is for the middle of next week. The morning of Saturday, the 16th and through the afternoon, we finally see a bit of a push. The afternoon looks the pick of the two. Swell builds to a clean 3ft from the NW with a period of 8 seconds, and the cross-offshore wind should keep it clean and lined up. The energy is back up to 163 (moderate wave energy). It’s not a bombshell, but after this long flat spell, it’s the best thing on offer.

So, the takeaway is this: don’t rush out this week. The only real standout, and I use that term loosely, is the glassy, head-high morning on Sunday, the 9th. After that, the long-range stuff for the 16th is promising, but we’ll need to watch it. It just looks like a really drawn-out, slow period where patience is everything.

It’s been flat, it’ll get a little less flat, but we’ve got to work for it.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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