El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this forecast for the next couple of weeks is a tough one to swallow. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly poor surf conditions, with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind messing things up. The water’s sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only positive.

We kick things off on Monday, the 17th of August, but honestly, it’s not worth paddling out. There’s some swell, about 4ft from the NNE with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is howling straight onshore from the north at 12 mph. The combined wave energy is moderate at best (236), but the conditions are just poor. That theme carries right through the rest of the week.

Tuesday the 18th, Wednesday the 19th, Thursday the 20th, Friday the 21st – it’s the same story. Swell hanging in around 3ft to 4ft, mostly from the north and northeast, with periods stuck at a weak 8 seconds. The wind doesn’t let up, keeping the surface messy. By Saturday the 22nd, the swell bumps up a bit to 5ft - 5ft from the north, and the energy climbs into the moderate range (302-314), but the wind is still right on it from the north at 12 mph. No good.

There’s a gap of nothing but poor surf until Monday the 24th of August, where we finally see a glimmer. The morning session shows a small 3ft swell from the NNW with a period of 9 seconds, and combined energy of 266. It’s still cross-onshore, but the wind is lighter at 6 mph. The call is marginal, but not completely hopeless. That tiny window slams shut again by the afternoon.

From Tuesday the 25th through the end of the month, the swell sticks around – even getting up to 6ft on the 27th – but the wind is relentless. Moderate breezes from the NNE and north, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, keep the waves chopped and uninviting. For El Roque, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the north-northwest, the wind direction is just never in our favour. The period stays short, mostly 7-8 seconds, which means weak, mushy lines.

If I had to pick one standout – and I’m stretching here – it’s that Monday morning, the 24th of August. The swell is small and the period is okay, and with the lighter wind, it might just be clean enough for a beginner to find a few crumbly ones. But don’t get your hopes up. Everything else in this 16-day run is a write-off. The setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer right now.

Rusty.

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