Cabarete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Cabarete is a tough one for the next couple of weeks. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions with hardly any let-up. The wind is going to be a persistent problem, and the swell just isn’t lining up for clean waves.

Let’s walk through it. The forecast kicks off on Thursday, 2nd July, and right away it’s messy. We’ve got a small 3ft swell from the east with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is a cross-onshore breeze at 15 mph. The water temp is sitting at 83°F which is pretty average for this time of year, but that’s where the good news stops. The wave energy is weak, clocking in at just 107 (combined swell energy). It’s just too choppy and lumpy to bother paddling out. The afternoon is worse – a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind on a 4ft, 5 second windswell is just a mess.

This pattern locks in for days. Friday 3rd through Monday 6th July are all the same story: cross-onshore winds, mostly moderate to fresh breezes, and swells that are too short-period and messy. The energy picks up a bit on Monday afternoon to 195 (moderate wave energy) with a gentle cross-shore breeze, but the 5ft east swell is still at a short 7 seconds and the waves will be choppy. It’s not worth a session.

Tuesday 7th through Thursday 9th July keeps the theme – more cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. The swell height is hovering between 4ft and 5ft, still from the east, but the wind never cleans it up. The energy is getting stronger, reaching 294 on Wednesday afternoon, but with that fresh cross-onshore wind, it’s just blown-out.

Friday 10th and Saturday 11th July see the swell push up to 6ft, with a period of 8 seconds, and the energy is strong at 346. But the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore – again, choppy, lumpy, no good for a paddle. This kind of size and wind might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers, because for us, it’s a write-off.

From Sunday 12th July onwards, the swell drops back again. 4ft to 5ft, east swell, and the wind just won’t let up. It stays cross-onshore with moderate to fresh strength all the way through to the end of the forecast on Friday 17th July. The last few days, from 15th July onwards, the swell even drops below 3ft at times, with weak energy. There are simply no standout conditions across the entire 16-day window.

Honestly, I don’t see a single session worth chasing here. Everything is getting hammered by onshore winds. If you have to get wet, maybe look for something sheltered, but for a proper surf at Cabarete reef, this is a full 16-day blank run. It’s a rough patch, but these things happen. Forecasts can change, and it won’t stay this way forever.

Rusty.

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