Rincon Surf Forecast – May 21, 2016

It’s going to be one of those summers.

Nothing but scraps from out in the North Atlantic for surfing Rincon, Puerto Rico. We look to stay completely flat for the rest of the month. We can hope for some phantom bumps here and there, but don’t expect any actual swell. I’ll try to keep up with the report so that you can know if one of those phantom background swells shows up. With all of this heat we can start to hope for an active Tropical Season. Let’s all hope for plenty of storm swell and no destruction. Big storms that just sit out at sea create some of the best swells ever to hit our coasts.

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.