El Porto - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (November - February)

The North Pacific winter machine fires up, sending consistent, long-period W and WSW swell toward the Southern California coast. El Porto, with its west-southwest exposure, catches the brunt of these powerful groundswells. Average wave heights hover in the 0.8-0.9m range, but pulses easily push into the 1-1.5m fun zone and occasionally punch into the 1.5-2.5m pumping range. The wind regime is at its most favorable, with offshore flow from the NE and E quadrants occurring over 45% of the time, often grooming the waves to perfection. This is the prime window for quality surf at El Porto.

Fair Surf Season (October & March - April)

The transition months offer a mix. October sees the first stirrings of winter swell, but heights are still modest (avg 0.7m) and ideal wind drops to 39%. March and April retain solid swell from W and WSW with averages around 0.9m, but the offshore wind frequency declines to 35-38%. You'll still find plenty of rideable waves, especially when a strong cold front passes and sets up clean conditions before the next onshore push.

Low Surf Season (May - September)

Summer brings a dramatic shift. Swell from the North Pacific all but disappears, replaced by weaker, shorter-period SW and WSW windswell. Average heights remain in the 0.7-0.8m range, but the dominant wind becomes onshore from the SW and W, with ideal offshore wind dropping to just 24-31%. The combination of smaller waves and frequent afternoon sea breezes makes for mostly mushy, sub-par conditions. Early mornings can still offer clean windows, but consistent quality is hard to come by.

May: Summer Lull Sets In

May ushers in summer conditions. Swell direction shifts to predominantly west-southwest (40.2%) and southwest (24.2%), with west swell reduced to 29.3%. Wave periods remain long (12.0s) but heights average 0.9m, mostly in the 0.5-1m range. The biggest change is wind: ideal wind plummets to 31%, as onshore SW and WSW winds become the norm. Surf quality takes a hit, with bumpy surface conditions and smaller, less organized waves. Early dawn patrols may still score clean, rideable waves.