Cabarete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the outlook for the next couple of weeks is a tough one for surfers. We’ve got a solid 16 days of waves on the cards, but the conditions are working against us. The wind is a persistent problem, and the swell quality just isn’t making the grade. You’re going to want to leave the fish at home and maybe grab a kiteboard instead.

For the entire run, we’re looking at a consistent, small to moderate trade wind swell from the east and east-northeast. The main spot, Cabarete, is a reef break that’s exposed to this swell. The water temperature is sitting about average for the time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

The first few days, from Friday the 17th of July all the way through to the end of July, it’s a pretty grim story. The wind is a relentless cross-onshore, blowing from the east at 12 to 22 mph. This is creating choppy, lumpy conditions every single day. The wave heights bounce between 2 ft and 5 ft with a short, weak period of 5 to 9 seconds. The combined energy of all swells sits in the moderate range (108 to 263), but with that wind, it’s just messy power. The report calls it “poor surf conditions” for every single session, and it’s hard to argue.

Look, there’s a slight glimmer around the 27th and 28th of July. The swell period bumps up to 9 seconds, and the energy climbs into the 200s (226 to 263). The height is around 4 ft to 4 ft from the east. But the wind doesn’t give us a break. That fresh cross-onshore is still gonna be there, tearing up the face. For a reef break like Cabarete, that cross-onshore wind is a real killer. The wave shape is going to be blown out and lumpy. It’s not a session you’ll want to paddle out for.

As we move into the first week of August, the pattern doesn’t change. The wind is still strong and cross-onshore, the swell is still small and short period. The first few days of August are a repeat of the same story.

The only real standout here is a negative one. There is no spot in the 16-day window that offers clean, surfable conditions. The constant cross-onshore wind is the deal-breaker. For a consistent break like Cabarete, this is a proper run of blank days. It’s the kind of setup that’s way more interesting for the kite and windsurfing crew than for us paddle surfers. The wind is solid, the water is flat-ish, and it’s just not for us.

If you’re desperate for a wave, you might find a short, choppy little bank somewhere, but don’t expect any quality. The trade winds need to back off before we see any clean glass. For now, I’d say give it a miss and wait for the forecast to change. It’s not going to stay poor forever, but right now, it’s a hard pass.

Rusty.

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