El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board, because I’ve been staring at the charts for El Roque and got to be straight with you – it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a 16-day run here starting now and spreading through to early September, but don’t expect any fireworks. The overall pattern is one of persistent cross-onshore wind, messy conditions, and surf that’s trying to get going but never really clicks into gear. There’s no standout session I’d get excited about, nothing that screams “drop everything and go.”

Right from the jump, the outlook is flat. We go through Tuesday the 25th of August and there’s nothing to recommend – the first few days are a write-off with small, weak swell and a constant NNE breeze that keeps things choppy. It’s not until around Friday the 28th of August that we see a little bump in size: 5 ft to 6 ft of NNE swell, but with short period around 6 seconds and a moderate cross-onshore wind, the surface is just a mess. The combined energy sits at 188 to 260 (moderate energy), but the “poor surf conditions” tag says it all. This is beach-break style slop, and with the wind tearing across it, you’d be better off leaving the longboard at home.

Into Saturday the 29th of August, the swell actually gets some legs – 5 ft from the north with a 11-second period, combined energy of 737 (strong). That’s a proper groundswell pulse, the kind that should wrap into a reef like El Roque and give you some size. But here’s the rub: the wind is still cross-onshore from the NNE at 12 mph, so while there’s push and energy, the face is going to be lumpy. For a beginner-friendly spot like this, the 5 ft to 5 ft range is manageable, but the chop makes it a slog.

As we roll into early September, the swell stays in the 5 ft to 7 ft range, with the bigger days falling on Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd. On the 2nd, we’ve got 6 ft to 7 ft NNE swell, period 7-8 seconds, combined energy hitting 432 to 513 (moderate-to-strong). On the 3rd, 8 ft NNE swell with 8-second period and energy up to 677. Now, for a reef break like El Roque, a 8 ft NNE swell is a fair bit of water – it’s getting into expert territory, pushing past the 8 ft limit for all but the most skilled. The wind is still cross-onshore or onshore at 9-12 mph, so it’s not clean. If you’re a confident surfer and you don’t mind a battle, there’s energy there, but it’s not pretty.

Water temp is 76°F, with an anomaly of 3°F, so a touch warmer than normal for late August – you won’t need more than a spring suit, maybe just boardies.

The second week, from around the 5th of September onward, we’re still seeing NNE swell hanging in at 5 ft to 7 ft, period 8-9 seconds, but the wind doesn’t let up. Same story: cross-onshore NNE breeze, 12 mph, and “poor surf conditions” across every session. The combined energy stays in the 300-600 range (moderate to strong), so there’s push, but the quality is just not there. Crowds at El Roque can be an issue sometimes, but honestly, with conditions this average, you might have the place to yourself.

To put it bluntly: there’s no day I’d call a standout. If I had to pick the best of a bad bunch, I’d look at Saturday the 5th of September morning, when the wind is listed as “on” from the north at 12 mph – that’s offshore for El Roque, as the optimum swell direction is from the NW and the offshore wind is from the south. Wait, no, the wind is from north, which is actually offshore for a north swell here? Let me check – the for El Roque is “S” for offshore, so north wind is onshore. My mistake – it’s listed as “on” (onshore) on the 5th morning, so no help there. Honestly, nothing cleans up.

There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. What we’ve got is a persistent northerly breeze that won’t die, and a swell that’s mostly short-period or not well-aligned. The spot is fairly consistent in that it rarely goes flat, but the quality is consistently poor. A blank run like this is more normal for the area when the trades lock in – it’s not unusual to have a week or two of average conditions. That said, with the combination of decent swell size and poor surf quality plus cross-onshore wind, this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially on those days with 7 ft+ and the breeze to power a kite.

Rusty.

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