Cabarete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this forecast for Cabarete is a tough one. We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but the stars are just not lining up for a proper paddle. Every single day on the books is served up with a side of cross-onshore wind, and that's a recipe for choppy, lumpy, and generally poor surf conditions right from the start. The water temp is sitting at a warm 83°F and that's pretty much normal for the time of year, so at least you won't be cold while you're getting frustrated.

Right out of the gate, from Thursday the 30th of July, we've got a 6 ft swell from the east at a short, weak period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is a middling 315, and that wind is already 22 mph onshore. It's not going to be fun. Friday the 31st, Saturday the 1st of August, Sunday the 2nd – it's the same story. The swell hangs around 4 ft to 6 ft, but the period is short and the wind is relentless. The energy readings are all in the 200s and 300s, which is moderate, but it's all wasted with that onshore breeze.

We get a bit of a dip in swell size around the 3rd and 4th of August, dropping to 3 ft, and the energy drops into the low hundreds (96, 94). That's weak, and the wind is still cross-on. By the 5th of August, the swell period drops to a tiny 5 seconds and the energy crashes to 63. That's not even surf – that's just wind chop. This pattern of moderate cross-onshore wind and short-period, poor-quality swell just keeps grinding on through the first week and into the second.

There is a glimmer of something... slightly less bad... around the 10th and 11th of August. The combined energy pushes back up into the 200s (216, 218), and the swell height is a consistent 5 ft, but the period is still only 7 seconds and the wind is still 16-19 mph cross-onshore. It's still going to be a battle. The very end of the run, around the 13th and 14th of August, the wind finally shifts slightly to the ESE, but it's still at 19 mph and cross to cross-onshore. The swell is dropping back to 3 ft to 4 ft, with very low energy (120, 146).

Honestly, there isn't a single standout window here. The combination of persistent cross-onshore winds and short-period, east-swell just won't let Cabarete's reef setup show its true potential. If you absolutely have to get wet, keep your expectations on the floor. You might be better off leaving the paddle board at home and seeing if the kite surfers are having a blast – the conditions are certainly more suited to them right now. The forecast is grim, but it's a long stretch; things can change.

Rusty.

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