Rincon, Puerto Rico Surf Forecast – Jan 2, 2017

Plenty of waves already and more surf is on the way.

This past NW swell has been FUN! Granted it did not get nearly as big as originally anticipated, but there was still plenty of sets a foot or two overhead. I really do love the way NW swells break here. They’re so much more fun than NE or ENE wind swell. December was almost entirely NE and ENE wind swell. Tomorrow (Tuesday) should have some fun waist to chest high leftovers with some stand-out spots seeing some head high sets in the morning. Unfortunately we’ll have a couple days of NE and then ENE wind swell on Wednesday and Thursday. However, be on the lookout for a possible long period swell for the weekend. Long rangers are also trending on a possible major swell event for next week. From watching the satellite loops I’m inclined to believe it will happen. I like what I see.

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.