El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the immediate outlook is a bit of a heartbreaker. We’ve got a run of poor surf conditions stretching from Sunday the 26th of July all the way through to the end of the month. There’s a solid window of about a week where the onshore winds are just hammering the place, making a mess of things. You’re looking at onshore breeze from the NNE and N, mostly moderate breeze strength, and the swell is weak and short-period. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Monday the 3rd of August. That’s when we finally see a slight improvement. The conditions are still marginal, but the wave energy is starting to pick up.

El Roque – this is the only spot in the game, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and works best with a NNW swell direction. It’s exposed, so it catches everything. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

The standout period is the second half of the first week of August. Let’s look at the details. On Monday the 3rd of August, the morning session is your best bet. There’s a NNE swell coming in at 7 ft with an 8-second period, and the combined energy is moderate (549). The wind is a light breeze from the NNE, which is onshore, but it’s light enough that it won’t totally ruin it. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve got. The afternoon sees similar size at 7 ft, still with a light breeze, but it’s a little more messy.

From Tuesday the 4th onwards, the wind picks up again, and the wave quality drops back into "poor" territory. The swell is still there, around 6 ft to 7 ft, but the moderate breeze onshore just chops it up. By the 5th and 6th of August, we see the swell size hitting 7 ft and the combined energy pushing into the 500-700 range, but the wind is just wrong – cross-onshore or onshore, keeping it unsurfable.

The long-range stuff, into the second week, doesn’t look any better. The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is in the 5 ft to 6 ft range with a period of 8 to 9 seconds. It’s consistent in size, but the quality is poor. You’d be fighting the wind the whole time.

So, the honest truth? The only window that’s even worth a mention is Monday morning the 3rd of August at El Roque. It’s not a classic, but it’s the only time the stars align even a little. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for safe, clean surf. If you’re desperate, then go, but don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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