El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for El Roque over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim stretch for most of the forecast. We’re talking a solid run of poor conditions that stretches from now, Monday the 24th of August, all the way through to Saturday the 5th of September. That’s nearly two weeks of onshore or cross-onshore winds and generally messy surf. The water temperature is hanging around 76°F with a touch warmer than normal anomaly, so at least it’s not freezing.

The first real glimmer of something worth paddling out for comes on Sunday the 6th of September. We’ve got a NNE swell pushing 7.5 ft with an 8-second period, and for the first time in ages, the wind is forecast to be light and onshore from the NNW at just 6 mph. The combined swell energy is strong at (807), which means there’s plenty of push behind it. Now, that’s a solid size – over 8 ft is really for the experienced crew only, and this is getting close. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t have that long-period groundswell glide, but for a reef break like El Roque, that shorter period can actually keep the waves from closing out all at once. The onshore wind, even if light, is a bit of a shame, but it’s the best we’ve seen. If you’re an expert and you’re desperate, that Sunday morning might just be the only window. Expect it to be a bit inconsistent – El Roque is only fairly consistent as it is – but this is the standout, and really the only one, of the whole 16-day outlook.

For the rest? It’s a write-off. Don’t bother before that Sunday. The wind is almost always from the NNE through N, blowing onshore or cross-onshore, and most of the time it’s a moderate breeze at 12–16 mph, which just ruins any chance of a clean face. The swell direction is mostly N to NNE, with the optimum being NNW, so the angle isn’t helping either. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong at times (hitting over 1000 on the 2nd of September), but with that wind, it’s just a choppy, blown-out mess. Honestly, if you were thinking of getting wet before that Sunday, I’d say save your energy. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during those blown-out days.

So, mark your calendar for the morning of Sunday the 6th of September. It’s a long shot with the onshore wind, but it’s the only shot we’ve got. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

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