El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m gonna be straight with you – this stretch looks like a bit of a dud for us here at El Roque. We’ve got a long run of poor conditions coming up, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

Right off the bat, we’ve got Sunday morning the 23rd of August. Swell is a small 3ft coming from the north with a 10-second period. That’s got a weak combined energy of 267. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the NNE at 6 mph. Feels a touch warmer than normal in the water at 76°. Honestly, it’s marginal at best – nothing to write home about. The afternoon sees the swell bump up just slightly to 4ft from the NNW with a longer 14-second period, which gives moderate wave energy now at 660, and the wind goes onshore. Still, not enough quality to get excited.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, the swell builds a little, hitting around 6ft to 6ft from the NNW, but the wind stays cross-onshore with a moderate breeze. The period drops off, and the energy is moderate (887 Monday morning, 750 Monday afternoon). But the wave comment says "poor surf conditions" all through. It’s a real letdown.

From Wednesday the 26th through the 28th, the swell drops back under 3ft for a day or two, with short periods (5 to 9 seconds) and weak energy. Then on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, we actually see a pulse of swell coming through – up to 7ft to 7ft from the NNE on Saturday. That’s a fair bit of size, but unfortunately the wind is howling from the NNE at 16 mph, cross-onshore, making it chop city. Combined energy spikes up to 864 on Saturday morning, which is strong, but the conditions are poor. That’s more of a kitesurfer’s dream than a paddle surfer’s.

After that big pulse, we settle back into a run of 4ft to 5ft waves with onshore or cross-onshore winds through the first week of September. Nothing really changes. We get pulses of 6ft to 6ft around the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of September, with periods around 7 to 8 seconds and moderate to strong energy (up to 410), but the wind is moderate and never clean. All poor conditions.

The standout here? Honestly, there isn’t one. Every single day is marked poor or marginal. The wind just never gets right for El Roque. Usually, it needs a clean offshore from the south to work well, and we’re getting the opposite – a persistent NNE or north wind. This spot is a fairly consistent reef break, beginner-friendly, and draws a crowd sometimes, but when the wind’s wrong, it’s just not happening.

If you’re itching for a session, maybe check somewhere more sheltered. But for El Roque, the next 16 days are a blank run. That’s not unusual for this set-up when the trade winds lock in.

Keep an ear out for forecast changes, but as it stands, I wouldn’t bother waxing up.

- Rusty

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