El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. Straight up, it’s a tough run of days for El Roque, a reef break that’s fairly consistent but needs the right conditions to fire. The water’s sitting at 73°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no shock there.

We kick off Monday the 20th of July, and there’s surf on the cards, but it’s a mess. A 7 ft swell from the NNE, period a short 7 seconds, and a moderate breeze onshore right from the get-go. The combined energy is moderate (436), but it’s all blown out. That sets the tone for the whole first week. Tuesday through to Sunday the 26th, we’ve got a steady diet of 6 ft to 8 ft swell from the same direction, periods hanging around 7 to 8 seconds, and the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore. The energy builds into the weekend, hitting 887 on Saturday afternoon, but it’s all poor surf conditions. The wind never lets up. Honestly, for a reef break, seeing that constant onshore breeze is a real heartbreaker.

Monday the 27th of July through to Friday the 31st of July, the swell settles a bit, dropping from 7 ft down to 5 ft, and the period nudges up to 8 seconds on the later days. The energy drops off too, but the story is the same: onshore wind from the north to north-northeast, 12 to 15 mph. It’s still poor surf conditions. There’s no window of clean, glassy conditions at all.

Then we hit the first of August. Saturday the 1st of August shows a flicker of hope. The morning sees a 7 ft NNE swell with a 9-second period, and the wind drops to a gentle breeze at 9 mph from the north, which is onshore. The comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so it’s not good, but it’s a step up from the rest. The energy is moderate (600). Still, this isn’t a standout.

The real standout in this whole 16-day window comes on Sunday the 2nd of August. The morning shows a 8 ft swell from the NNE, period 9 seconds, and the wind is a moderate breeze from the NNW at 12 mph, still onshore. The combined energy jumps to a very strong 1151. That’s the most juice we see in the whole period. The comment is again “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” but with that much energy and a slightly longer period, a reef break like El Roque could have some serious, powerful lines. The afternoon holds similar energy at 1067. It’s still a marginal call, and the wind isn’t ideal, but if you’re an experienced surfer, that Sunday morning is the one to watch. It’s a week and a half away, so it’s a long-range promise, but it’s the only time the energy really gets pumping.

After that, Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of August drop back to 7 ft to 8 ft swell with 8-second periods, onshore wind, and poor surf conditions. The run ends with no real clean swell.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. A solid gap of poor surf. The only time worth getting excited about is Sunday the 2nd of August, with that big pulse of energy. For the rest, it’s best to leave the board in the car and wait for a better forecast. This break is a reef, so it can handle swell, but it needs that offshore wind to really shine. It just doesn’t get it.

Rusty.

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