Rincon, Puerto Rico Surf Forecast – Jan 6, 2015

Head High Surf with Bigger Sets for the Weekend

We will remain small to flat for the rest of week with heavy winds from the ENE. On Saturday Puerto Rico will say hello to a modest NW swell with an average period. This swell should be a decent event for Rincon. The winds will be hard East most of the time so the North facing spots will probably be blown out fairly early in the day. However, the NW angle should allow for all of the tucked away spots on the other side of Rincon to get really fun waves with glassy conditions for the majority of the day. I’m not expecting much more than some head high to 2ft overhead surf, but we still have a a few more days for the weather to change. We could possibly see an increase in the forecast size. After the skunk fest season we’ve been having, I’m happy to surf some head high to 2ft overhead surf! That’s a super fun size!

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.