El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee and listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast, and honestly, it’s a bit of a rough patch for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long, drawn-out run of poor surf conditions ahead. There are no real standouts in this window, so let’s just be honest about what we’re dealing with.

The water is sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than it usually is for this time of year. Not a huge deal, but you might notice it.

Looking at the whole 16-day span, the swell is just not cooperating. The direction is all wrong, coming in from the NNE and N, which is straight onshore for our setup here. The period is mostly short, around 7 to 8 seconds, which means it’s just a mess of windswell, not the clean groundswell we’d want. The energy is moderate at best, like 365 on Friday morning, but it’s all just making for choppy, blown-out conditions.

Friday the 14th kicks things off with a cross-on breeze and 6ft of short-period slop. It’s not surfable. Saturday is the same story, just onshore and messy. Sunday through to Thursday, the swell drops a bit but the wind stays on it, so it’s still poor. For most of that first week, we're looking at a dead loss. There’s a tiny glimmer on Tuesday the 18th morning, a marginal "maybe" with 4ft and a slightly longer 9-second period, but the wind is straight on it, so I wouldn't get too excited. It’s just not worth paddling out for.

The second week doesn’t bring any relief. From the 21st, the swell bumps back up slightly to around 5ft, but the period drops right back down and the wind remains offshore. It’s a lot of energy, but none of it is clean. We’re looking at a solid run of poor, choppy conditions. The energy picks up strong at the very end, hitting 582 and then a massive 844 on the 29th, but it’s still coming from the wrong direction with a blown-out wind. It’s just gonna be a washing machine out there.

Honestly, for the next 16 days, there’s nothing here that makes me want to rush down to El Roque. It’s a reef break, but with these conditions and the straight-on wind, it’s going to be a messy close-out. If you’re desperate, maybe the 18th morning is your shot, but manage your expectations. This looks like a stretch more for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers. The forecast can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long, but as it stands, I’d be finding other things to do with my time.

Rusty, signing off.

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