El Sardinero - Primera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a seat. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for El Sardinero – Primera, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a bit of a slow burn this stretch. The next week and a half is looking pretty flat and sad, but there’s a tiny glimmer of hope way out at the end of the run that might just be worth waiting for.

First thing’s first, the water is sitting at 71° which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no dramas there. But the surf? Man, it’s tiny. We’re looking at a whole lot of knee-high slop, with the swell hovering around 1ft to 2ft for the first week. The energy is weak too, with readings mostly in the 20s to 80s, which tells you there’s just nothing pushing in. The wind is all over the place, but with waves this small, it doesn’t matter if it’s glassy or cross-off, it’s just not gonna break with any sort of punch.

We’ve got a dry spell right through to the 16th, with nothing but “poor surf conditions” on the cards. It’s the kind of stretch where you’d be better off finding something else to do. The swell direction is mostly NW, but the period is short, 8 to 10 seconds, and that’s just not doing anything for this spot.

Then, on Monday the 17th, there’s a slight pulse. The morning looks a little more interesting with a reading of 104 for combined energy, and the swell bumps up to 3ft at 7 seconds. It’s still pretty ordinary, but with a clean cross-off breeze, it might be the only time you could get a fun little one if you’re desperate. You’d want to be on a longboard, that’s for sure. The afternoon goes a bit lumpy with the onshore.

After that, it’s right back to the flatness until Saturday the 22nd. That’s when things get a little more interesting. The morning of the 22nd has a glassy vibe and a 2ft NW swell with a period stretching to 11 seconds. The energy jumps up to 138, which is the most we’ve seen. It’s not big, but that longer period and glassy conditions could make for some clean, albeit small, waves. This is the first real standout, but it’s still not a winner.

However, the real one to watch is a full two days later, on Monday the 24th. The models are hinting at a proper push of energy, with readings jumping way up to 242 in the morning and 276 in the afternoon. We’re looking at 3ft to 4ft of NW swell with a period around 8 to 10 seconds. That’s a significant jump in energy compared to everything else. The issue is the wind. It’s onshore and blowing at 12 mph in the afternoon, which will chop it up. The morning is cross-on which isn’t ideal either. This is a promising sign, but it’s over a week away, so treat it as a “maybe” rather than a certainty. The swell is there, but the wind gods are going to have to cooperate.

Honestly, for a break that’s sheltered, it just seems like the swell isn’t lining up. The one spot that could be half-decent is on the 24th, but the onshore wind is a killer. For a beach setup like this, with the waves starting to get some size and a strong onshore wind, it might be a better day for the kitesurfers than for us paddle surfers. There's just nothing else worth getting excited about.

Alright, that’s the long and short of it. Keep your eyes on the 24th, but don’t hold your breath. Until next time.

Rusty.

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