Conditions at El Barco in August
August: Hurricane Season Rumbles and a Summer Lull
August sits on the cusp of the surf year's turnaround, though at El Barco it mostly still feels like summer. Average swell height remains low at 1.2m (3.9ft), period is a modest 7.5s, and the wave rose is still dominated by E at 68.5% and ENE at 26.0%. NNE swells are just a blip at 0.5%, and no real N/NW groundswell shows up. The typical day is small, crumbly, and running on pure trade wind energy.
What August lacks in size it sometimes makes up in tropical storm potential. As the Atlantic hurricane season heats up, passing cyclones or their swells can throw an unexpected 2-3m (6-10ft) pulse of E/NE energy at the north coast, producing a few epic sessions. Wind is ideal 57% of the time, the highest of the summer so far, with ESE, E and SE trades dominating. Water is warm at 28.4°C, air temps average 27.9°C, and rain sits at 1.86mm/day. You need to pay attention to the tropics, but August can surprise.
Average Spot conditions at El Barco in August
Swell history for August
Wind history for August
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at El Barco during August. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at El Barco for your next trip in August.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at El Barco for August. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at El Barco.