Surf Forecasts:
La Bocana surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SW swell with 573 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for La Bocana this week:
The surf forecast for La Bocana over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at La Bocana in the next 16 days are 1.1m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for La Bocana over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at La Bocana.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a nice little run of clean mornings coming up, but don’t go expecting any huge, earth-shattering swell. This is a river mouth setup that’s inconsistent and exposed to SSW swell, so you need the stars to align. The water temp is sitting at 86° with an anomaly of 0.9°, so pretty much bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.
It kicks off Tuesday the 18th with a modest 4ft of SSW swell at 14 seconds. That’s a solid groundswell period, meaning longer waits between sets but some nice, lined-up waves when they come. The morning is glassy with a 3 mph NW breeze, so the surface will be clean. The combined energy is 521 (moderate), so there’s some push there. This morning is the pick of the first few days – really pleasant, entry-level surf.
Wednesday the 19th sees the swell drop a touch to 3ft, still from the SSW at a long 15 seconds. Again, the morning is glassy with a light NNE wind. It’s clean but smaller. The afternoon turns onshore and cloudy, so get your session in before lunch.
Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st keep the pattern going: mornings are glassy with tiny to no wind, swell hanging around 2ft to 3ft. The energy drops off a bit (383 and 249), so it’s small but clean. Fine for a longboard or a foiled, but not setting the world on fire.
Saturday the 22nd bumps back up to 3ft from the south, 11 seconds. Morning glass again. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th see the swell dip back to 2ft-3ft but with some lovely long period (14-18 seconds). Those long period swells at a river mouth can be a bit tricky – they might stand up nice and walled or just roll through fat, depending on the tide.
Tuesday the 25th through Thursday the 27th is a slow taper to 1ft-2ft. The energy is weak (161-319). Honestly, it’s a bit of a flat spell there. Not worth getting excited about.
Now, here’s where we get a standout. Saturday the 29th of August morning. The swell jumps to 5ft from the SW, 16 seconds, with a 3 mph SE breeze delivering glassy conditions. The combined energy is a very strong 1140. That’s a serious jump. This is for experienced surfers – anything over 5ft at La Bocana can get a bit heavy, and this is right on the edge. The morning session looks excellent if you’ve got the skill.
Sunday the 30th is the top of the swell pulse: 5ft of SSW at 15 seconds, and the wind is dead calm – 0 mph from the SSE, glassy. The energy is 1208 – very strong. This is the best moment of the whole outlook. Clean, powerful, solid groundswell. It’s in the expert zone (over 5ft), so not one for the beginners. But if you’ve got the experience, this is *the* morning to be out.
Monday the 31st morning holds at 5ft, 14 seconds, again glassy with a calm WSW breeze. Still very good, but starting to ease back. From there, it drops through the first days of September into smaller, cleaner but unremarkable surf.
The real highlight is that Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of August window – two mornings of proper, strong, glassy groundswell. Everything else is small but clean morning sessions for the patient surfer.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Tue morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
437 | 390 | 573 | 387 | 372 | 261 | 186 | 178 | 147 | 138 | 135 | 227 | 231 | 182 | 239 | 236 | 156 | 286 | 280 | 270 | 351 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | glassy | on | off |
High Tide | 6:48PM1.83m | 7:12AM2.00m | 7:33PM1.69m | 7:58AM1.88m | 8:22PM1.57m | 8:48AM1.78m | 9:17PM1.47m | 9:45AM1.71m | 10:21PM1.42m | 10:47AM1.68m | 11:29PM1.43m | 11:48AM1.70m | 00:30AM1.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:48PM0.29m | 00:52AM0.32m | 1:34PM0.39m | 1:35AM0.44m | 2:24PM0.50m | 2:22AM0.55m | 3:19PM0.58m | 3:15AM0.63m | 4:22PM0.62m | 4:18AM0.68m | 5:27PM0.61m | 5:24AM0.68m | 6:26PM0.57m | ||||||||
5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | |
— | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 7 | — | 6 | 23 | — | 2 | 1 |
Temp °C | 32 | 29 | 27 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 26 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 30 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSW 13 | SE 7 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 14 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 |
437 | 390 | 573 | 387 | 372 | 261 | 166 | 86 | 147 | 65 | 135 | 227 | 231 | 182 | 141 | 236 | 92 | 286 | 138 | 270 | 351 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | S 8 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 8 | SSW 11 | S 8 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 6 |
76 | 76 | 96 | 100 | 49 | 49 | 186 | 178 | 50 | 138 | 66 | 191 | 97 | 168 | 239 | 121 | 156 | 85 | 53 | 42 | 22 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 8 | SE 7 | SSW 10 | S 8 | SSW 10 | S 8 | SSW 15 | SE 6 | SSW 16 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SSW 19 | SE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | S 9 | S 9 |
8 | 8 | 16 | 45 | 49 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 55 | 46 | 84 | 13 | 107 | 43 | 27 | 148 | 54 | 149 | 280 | 64 | 44 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | — | — | SE 7 | — | ESE 5 | S 3 | — | NE 3 | S 3 | — | — | SSE 3 | — |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | — | 9 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | 3 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 487 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 317 | 0 | 0 | 487 | 0 | 0 | 487 | 0 | 0 | 502 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in El-Salvador - Costa del Balsamo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in El Salvador | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the La Bocana Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for La Bocana provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at La Bocana can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our La Bocana surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (La Bocana) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for La Bocana may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
La Bocana is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of La Libertad. If you plan a holiday in El-Salvador - Costa del Balsamo, look for hotels and other accommodation in La Libertad. La Libertad has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











