El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty rough for a decent wave, but there are a couple of moments where things might come together if you’re willing to wait. It’s not a total bust, just a lot of slop to sit through.

The first surf worth paddling out for is Sunday afternoon, the 23rd of August, at El Roque. It’s a reef setup, exposed to the swell, and there’s some clean NNW groundswell rolling in. We’re talking surf around 4ft with a 14-second period, which is proper. The wind is light out of the N, so it should be glassy, a real treat. The water temp is 76°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. The swell energy is moderate at 660. It’s not going to be big, but the quality could be there. Might be a bit tricky with the tide, though.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday the 24th through Saturday the 29th, it’s all junk. The wind clocks around to the NNE, blowing cross-onshore and turning everything into chop. The swell drops off and gets short-period and messy. There’s a pulse of longer period swell on the 29th, but that same cross-onshore wind will ruin it. Not worth the effort.

The next real glimpse of hope is Saturday morning, the 29th. The swell kicks up to 6ft from the NNW, with a long 13-second period. The energy is strong, at 1295, but again, the NNE wind at 15 mph is cross-onshore, which will chop it up. It’s a tease. The afternoon cleans up a little with 5ft from the N, but the wind is still cross-onshore, making it poor.

The run from the 30th of August through to the 6th of September is a lot of onshore wind with mid-period swell. The size stays in the 5ft to 8ft range, but it’s mostly from the NNE, which isn’t the ideal direction for this break, and the wind stays mostly on or cross-onshore. It’s the kind of surf you look at from the beach and just keep walking.

Now, for the standout window, if you can even call it that, it’s the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of September. The swell builds to 8ft, then 8ft, and the energy jumps to over 1000, so there’s no shortage of power. But here’s the catch: the period is only 8-9 seconds. That’s windswell, not clean groundswell. Combine that with the onshore wind, and you’re looking at a close-out, beat-down session. It’s big, but it’s not good. Unless you’re an expert looking for a challenge, this is a kite-surfing day, not a paddle-surfing day.

After that, it starts to ease. The 7th of September looks like it might clean up a little with light N winds and 4ft to 5ft of swell, but the period is still short at 8 seconds. It’s marginal at best.

Honestly, the pick of the whole fortnight is that Sunday afternoon on the 23rd of August. Small, clean, and glassy. I’d be on it.

Rusty.

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