Rincon Puerto Rico Surf Forecast – Jan 10, 2016

This swell is legit – The surf in Rincon is going to RAGE!

What if I told you there was this wave, and by the time it reaches the coast of Puerto Rico it’s going to be massive! (great movie). I didn’t want to join the hype until I had confirmation on the buoys. I have that confirmation. The next 2-3 days are going to rage! Seriously! As of the time of my writing this the outside buoy in the Atlantic is picking up 15ft at 15 Seconds from the NNE. The San Juan buoy is 5.9ft at 19 seconds from the NE! This means that tomorrow will be super hollow and big on the north coast of Puerto Rico. Shout out to every nook and cranny on the north coast – it will be on fire! Here in Rincon we should also see some very long rides at all of the places that can handle that much swell. Rincon is not known for it’s barrels but there should be plenty on offer over the next couple of days. Between tomorrow and Tuesday, I’m expecting to see EPIC conditions. From Wednesday and onward, the size will drop down a notch each day here in Rincon and get less and less consistent as the angle fades from NNE to NE and eventually ENE. The north side of the island keeps it’s size throughout the entire week including next weekend. This is because it’s more exposed to the ENE angle.

Surf Safely – BE CAREFUL!

If you know what you’re doing, be careful and have fun. If you don’t know what you’re doing stay out of the water. If you think you know what you’re doing but really don’t know what you’re doing, go home. If you see anyone taking a foam board out into the ocean stop them!

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.