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.

More surf on the way to Rincon!

I’ve been eyeballing the setup all week and have been meaning to update the forecast sooner but it’s been super busy. Sorry. The good news is that we get more surf! More long period NE swell and offshore winds. This is going to be a great swell event. Look for head high surf to fill in by this evening and max out Sunday. Due to the nature of the weather creating the swell, we’ll have residual surf persist through the entire week in the waist to chest high range. Monday and Tuesday are supposed to have south winds so several miles of coastline should be surfable without other people around. If the lower latitude low pressure system that is approaching our island turns into something else, the extended forecast can become even better. What a great April this has been so far!

Plenty of weather to keep us all surfing in Rincon.

I think this coming swell is going to be a lot of fun. We should have a decent little bump up in size for tomorrow in the head high to a foot overhead range and then a little drop in size for Friday in the chest high range. The weekend will be insanely busy, but should have plenty of surf. The winds are supposed to lay down through the weekend but pick up hard for the coming week. I hope the winds stay light. Light winds means countless chunks of coastline will be surfable and therefore a chance to surf without a crowd. Once the swell angle changes to the NNE to NE and gets a longer period behind it, the wait in between decent sets will get longer and frustration will easily build if you’re trying to surf a crowded spot.

If the swell delays slightly, Saturday could be the most frustrating day to go the beach. A major holiday weekend and tons of people looking for waves is fine if the waves are everywhere. But if the swell delays and only one or two spots have a decent wave, the whole island will pack into one break and fight it out. I want no part of that. The swell should definitely be here by Sunday though. If it shows up Saturday then great. Saturday might involve some travel time to find a secluded beach with surf to avoid aggression, disappointment, and feelings of worthlessness.

Nonstop Surf for Rincon – OH YEAH!

Seriously, when I took a look at the satellite loops this evening I couldn’t be happier. We have a steady flow of surf generating weather and the models are picking up on the closest ones giving us more NNE and NNW swell. I honestly see a couple weeks worth of surf based on current satellite imagery, but it just might be the stoke talking. This past swell has been so ridiculously perfect and fun. This has been a great season! Look for Monday and Tuesday to mellow out a little bit to a more friendly size but still be really fun. We should still see some head high surf with decent power. Monday will still see some nice overhead sets linger on. Another pulse up should arrive by mid-week and slowly fade a notch each day from Friday through the weekend.

Plenty more surf on the way for Rincon!

Wow what a busy weather map. That low that pulled up from the south was the only variable not picked up on by any of the model runs when I wrote the previous forecast. That whole setup was very rare for this time of year, but that low has been the gift that keeps on giving. The past 3 days have felt like a hurricane swell. Cranking NW swell and hard SW winds is always fun. There’s so much going on in the Atlantic right now that trying distinguish exactly how it will all contribute to the surf we see on the beach piece by piece is somewhat pointless. All you need to know is that the surf will continue to rage for the next 7 days. We shouldn’t get below waist to chest high at the main breaks and the mornings should be glassy. We might see a more onshore everywhere flow in the afternoons, but the mornings should always have a glassy option on at least one of the sides of Rincon. Wednesday looks like the scheduled arrival date for the next distinguishable pulse and we could easily see some overhead sets again with glassy conditions for the west facing spots. That pulse should linger through the weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some long period swell creep in the mix as well from the far north storm, but none of the models are biting on that scenario yet – too much weather closer to the island. Have fun, stay safe, and show respect in the water.

Get ready for another major swell event!

We look to be hit with a two pronged attack. First off we will see some NNW swell fill in Tuesday evening and by Wednesday morning we should be double overhead on sets. Thursday will remain big and Friday might drop down a notch or two while round two works its way to the island. It looks like the entire Atlantic well be pushed at Puerto Rico again for the weekend so expect to see really big short period swell again and a lot of wind. I’ve noticed the nooks and crannies have been liking the shorter period swells with the higher wave heights. They will be the best call again since wind blockage will be necessary. Tres is going to fire for several days. The swell should last into early next week.

BE SAFE!

I’m not kidding. Don’t overestimate your abilities and don’t underestimate the danger out there. It is very dangerous. Let’s try and get through this swell safely and still have fun. If you’ve had the same leash on your board for a long time you might want to consider getting a new one (or two).

More NW swell on the way for surfing Rincon.

What I like about this weather system is that there has been a steady fetch of wind pointed right at us from off the coast of the Eastern US for the past two days. If the high pressure pushes the system out and keeps that flow we should have several days of NW swell on tap. Tomorrow is going to be very small, but we should see the new NW swell show up by Friday mid-day. By the end of the day Friday expect to see some sets a few feet overhead. Over the weekend the surf should stay in the head high range and stay at least waist to chest high for the start of the coming week. Any dip from the low pressure centers and the swell could increase drastically so it’s worth watching the weather.

Plenty of weather to keep Rincon surfing!

Though we’re probably not going to see a major swell event this coming week, we have plenty of weather out in the ocean and enough swell on the buoys to see a week of fun waves. Expect waist to chest high conditions as a baseline throughout the week with Monday and Tuesday seeing some overhead sets at the right spot and tide. For the most part the winds should be light in the mornings opening up plenty of opportunities to surf several spots and avoid crowding the usual main breaks. There’s a lot of people on the island right now so I hope the light wind forecast sticks. Next weekend is looking like wind fest with extremely strong winds and bigger swell. We’ll have to see how the weather progresses during the week to confirm. Have fun, use common sense, and be respectful of others.

Major swell event confirmed for Puerto Rico.

Wow! Look at that image above. It’s like the entire North Atlantic is being pushed right at us. We should have big conditions starting tomorrow with huge conditions on Tuesday. The buoys are solid so this swell event is pretty much confirmed. I was hoping that the morning wouldn’t be too massive tomorrow, but from the timing I’m seeing on the outside buoys I think we’re going to wake up to some double overhead sets and less than ideal conditions. The initial arrival of such a swell tends to bring a lot of wind, water, and current with it making for super challenging surf. Expect double overhead and bigger on Tuesday. However, once the angle changes we should see a considerable drop in wave height on Wednesday and Thursday. The hard offshore winds will cause this swell to fade out by the weekend, but the entire week should have plenty of swell. Tucked away nooks and crannies will be the call on the first couple of days with the exception of the wind protected big wave spots. I’ll do my best to get good coverage of this swell.

BE SAFE!!!

This swell is going to bring a lot of drifty conditions with it. Currents and wind will be strong and the wave heights will be large. Don’t underestimate the danger out there or overestimate our abilities. Please keep children out of high current areas along the shorelines. There will be plenty of memorable rides for sure on this swell. Let’s make sure they’re good memories.

Major wind and swell event on the way.

Here’s the deal. We’re supposed to get a major swell event early next week that could last the majority of the week. The downside is that it will be accompanied by very strong winds and the swell itself will be fairly short period. The swell height seems large enough that a lot of tucked away spots should still be working fairly well. But there will definitely be a limited number of spots available. On setups like this the crowds tend to bunch up at most of the spots with “normal” sized waves that are protected from the wind. Tres Palmas could be pretty decent in the mornings for the thrill seekers and chargers. For the most part though a lot of popular spots will be unsurfable. Everyone please try to be safe with this swell. Don’t underestimate the conditions or overestimate your skill level. The currents are going to be very strong and a lot of paddling is going to be involved wherever you end up surfing.

How big will the surf get in Rincon?

Most likely we will see double overhead conditions and only a few spots will be protected enough from the heavy winds. The current will be really strong and the big wave spots might see waves bigger than double overhead. I stress safety again. If your leash were to break as a five wave set of double overhead bombs breaks on top of your head, would you have what it takes to hold your breathe, stay calm, swim strategically, avoid the bottom, and make it safely back to shore? Are you prepared for a situation like that? It’s something to think about if we end up getting big conditions and you’re on the shore considering a paddle out. I’m anticipating a lot of waves per set as is common with shorter period swell.

Any surf in Rincon for the weekend? What about the Corona contest at Domes?

Short answer – no we’ll stay flat. Saturday is looking like it will be ankle to knee high and mushy. Sunday will probably be the same with a possible bump up to knee to waist high by the evening. The wind will also be howling hard from the ENE to NE so the surface conditions should be fairly choppy in the afternoons. The pro’s are going to have to work really hard to make it happen. Good thing they’re the best surfers on the island (or adjacent areas) because I definitely wouldn’t be able to do anything in those conditions. Each year they always manage to pull off crazy manuevers despite the micro conditions so there will still be some action to be seen. The contest normally has fun games and activities as well and is generally a fun beach party. Please remember to use the garbage cans and recycle bins.

Wishful thinking scenario for this weekend.

The large weather system responsible for the coming big swell next week might make enough commotion as it pulls off the eastern coast of the US to send a small NW background pulse at Rincon giving us at least a waist high wave on Saturday and Sunday. It’s not out of the question so everyone just hope for the best.