El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, same story in feet and miles.

The next 16 days are looking pretty bleak for a paddle. The main break is El Roque, a reef setup that’s exposed to the swell, but the wind just won’t cooperate. We’ve got onshore and cross-onshore winds from the north and north-northeast pretty much all the way through, keeping the surface messy. The swell is mostly in the 3 ft to 6 ft range for the first week, with periods mostly short, between 6 and 8 seconds – that’s weak, short-period windswell, not proper groundswell. The combined energy is mostly in the low to moderate range, between 133 and 344, with a couple of late spikes.

The first surfable day, if you want to call it that, is on Monday 4th August morning. There’s a brief moment where the wind is only a light cross-onshore, and the swell pushes up to 5 ft from the north, but the period is still short at 7 seconds. The wave comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so it’s a low-percentage gamble. By the afternoon, the swell jumps to 6 ft, but the wind picks up to a gentle breeze and it gets choppy again.

The next possible window is on Wednesday 6th August morning, with 5 ft from the north-northeast, but again, cross-onshore wind and gentle breeze, so expect bumpy, jumbled lines. The water temperature anomaly is not given in the data, so I can’t tell you if it’s warmer or cooler than usual for this time of year, but it’s likely average for the area.

The standouts, if you can call them that, are the mornings of Sunday 9th August and Monday 10th August. On the 9th, the swell builds to 7 ft from the north-northeast with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 647 – that’s solid moderate energy. The wind is onshore but light, so the surface might be okay. The 10th kicks off with 8 ft from the north-northeast (energy 852), but by the afternoon, the wind cranks up to 19 mph from the north, making it a fresh breeze and fully onshore. That’s getting into expert-only territory, but with the wind howling, it’s going to be a washing machine. The reef might hold some shape, but the short period means it’s not a classic groundswell.

For beginners, any swell over 5 ft is pushing it, and over 8 ft is only for experts. The consistent onshore wind and short period mean this is looking more like a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session. The reef break at El Roque is occasionally crowded, so you might not be alone on the small chances.

There’s a long gap of poor conditions from the start until the 4th of August, and then again after the 10th, the wind stays onshore and the swell drops back down. Honestly, it’s a tough run. The forecasts can change, but right now, I’d say keep the board in the car and wait for a better day.

Rusty.

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