Cabarete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next sixteen days has in store for us at Cabarete. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough one.

Right from the get-go, Wednesday the 15th of July, we’re seeing a persistent easterly wind that’s blowing cross-onshore, and it doesn’t let up. The water’s warm, sitting at 83°, which is bang on average for this time of year. But the surf is just a mess of bumpy, lumpy lines. The swell is coming from the east, mostly around 3 ft to 4 ft, with a short period of 7-8 seconds. The wave energy is weak to moderate, topping out at just 133 on the scale. It looks choppy and, honestly, poor for surfing. This pattern doesn’t shift. Day after day it’s the same story: cross-onshore winds, choppy conditions, and a score of zero on every single recommendation.

As we move past the first week into late July, the conditions don't improve. The swell height does occasionally push up to 4 ft or 5 ft, with the combined energy climbing into the 200s by Monday the 20th, but the wind remains firmly cross-onshore and the description is always “poor surf conditions.” On Sunday the 26th of July, we even get a risk of thunderstorms and rain showers, and the wind goes more cross-shore, but it’s still messy.

The bottom line: there are no good surf options in this entire 16-day window. Not a single window of clean, rideable waves. The east wind just has too much bite, ruining the shape of the consistent, but short-period, easterly swell. For a spot like Cabarete, which is a consistent reef break, this kind of blank run is fairly unusual, but when this wind pattern locks in, it just shuts the place down. The setup here is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing right now with these steady winds.

Stay patient, the forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a solid pass. This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more