El Roque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty. Look, I've gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for El Roque is a tough one. The water's sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that's about the only good news. The pattern is a long, drawn-out run of poor surf conditions, with a big gap of nothing worthwhile until the very end. We’ve got a few days where the swell and energy pick up, but the wind is just never your friend.

We kick off from Wednesday, the 19th of August, with nothing worth paddling out for. Thursday the 20th through to Sunday the 23rd are all the same story – small waves around 3ft to 5ft, but with onshore and cross-onshore winds from the NNE, it's just choppy and messy. The combined energy is weak to moderate (142 to 251), and the period is short, under 10 seconds, so there's no real punch.

There's a slight lift on Monday the 24th. The swell builds to 5ft from the NNW, with a longer period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy jumps up to 834 (moderate). The morning has offshore winds, so it could be clean. But it's still a marginal call, and the afternoon goes cross-onshore and choppy again. It's the best we've seen, but it's not a standout.

From Tuesday the 25th through to Sunday the 31st of August, the onshore and cross-onshore NNE wind is relentless. The swell does build, especially from the 27th August onwards, hitting 6ft to 8ft from the NNE. The combined energy gets strong (336 to 972), but with that constant cross-onshore wind, it's all lumpy, choppy, and poor. For a reef break like El Roque, that's a write-off. The period is short (7-9 seconds), so it's a windswell mess.

The last few days, from the 31st of August to the 3rd of September, the swell stays up around 7ft to 8ft, and the energy is strong (514 to 1073). The wind does turn offshore on some mornings, but the reports still call it marginal at best. The swell is coming from the NNE, which is not the optimum direction for this spot – it prefers a NNW swell. With the size over 8ft, this is strictly for experts, and even then, the quality is poor. Honestly, the whole setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to be frank, there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. It's a blank run, and for this area, that's not unusual with this persistent northerly wind pattern. Keep an eye on it, but I wouldn't be getting wet.

Rusty.

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