Rincon, Puerto Rico Surf Forecast – Dec 24, 2014

Wax ’em Up! Long Period swell for the weekend.

We will be hit with a solid round of long period swell from the NE this weekend. Rincon should see some chest to head high perfection with plenty of power on Saturday and Sunday. There might be a bit of wait between sets, but there should be plenty of waves for everyone. The mornings should offer multiple opportunities for spots which should help control crowds. Everyone is frothing for some swell so to keep the vibes positive in the water try to spread out. The north side of Rincon should be perfect at many spots that are often overlooked. Find one. The period should be long enough to reach around to just about everywhere.

Another option is to go up north. The most exposed spots on the north coast of the island of Puerto Rico will see double overhead and bigger. If the winds are light in the morning, several spots could be on fire! Like I said before, this swell should give plenty of options in the mornings. The windblocked spots will be packed out in the afternoons. Everyone play nice.

Using Automated Forecast Tools:

Remember that no matter what a computer model tells you, what you see on the beach might be completely different. That's why i go take pictures of the beach every day. These tools help give an idea of what to expect, but weather prediction is not always exact especially the further out you try to forecast. Surf forecasting takes into account the general correlation between past weather data and resulting surf conditions. Another thing to keep in mind is the difference between actual swell height and the face height of the rideable wave it creates. For example. When the waves are forecast to have a 6ft swell at 13 seconds or higher with a NW angle we normally get waves that most people would call double over-head on sets. Swell angle is also important, especially for shorter period swell (9-11 seconds). For example 3ft at 11 seconds from the NW will make a bigger wave than 4ft at 9 seconds from the NE. Normally longer period swell (13+ seconds) will be more powerful and keep the surf size a little better even if the angle isn't a direct hit to Rincon. Generally any swell less than 9 seconds is super weak here in Rincon unless it has a lot of west in it. Also, most NE swell under 12 seconds is weak and mushy. 2ft at 8 seconds is generally small to flat. ENE swell will almost never make it into Rincon unless it was something like 10ft at 18 seconds from the ENE.