Rincon, Puerto Rico Surf Forecast – May 8, 2017

Everybody’s working for the weekend in Rincon, PR.

The work week will be flat here in Rincon so get your work done. Meanwhile we should have another storm work it’s magic out in the North Atlantic during the work week. If it amplifies enough and gets a big enough NE fetch pointed at us, we should see another long period pulse show up for the weekend. So far all of the major models are calling for this scenario. The winds are forecast to be relatively light especially in the early hours of the day. So if you want to surf a little more size on this weekend’s swell, going up to Isabela would be the call. Rincon will probably only be about waist to chest high, but the most exposed breaks on the north side of the island should see some surf that is head high to a couple feet overhead. Arecibo should also be pretty fun too.

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.