Encuentro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down in feet and miles.

I gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Encuentro (Dominican Republic) are looking flat and messy. This is a reef break that needs swell from the NNE, but the wind is almost always cross-shore out of the east, and the waves are small and weak. Water temp is about 84°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

As of Wednesday afternoon the 26th, we’ve got a weak 4ft easterly swell with a period of just 5 seconds, and the combined energy is a measly 70 – barely a ripple. Cross-shore wind at 16 mph is chopping it up. It’s a no-go. This poor pattern sticks around day after day. Thursday through the end of the month, it’s all small, short-period easterly swells, mostly 2ft to 4ft, with cross-shore winds and energy under 200. Nothing to paddle out for.

There’s a pulse on Monday the 31st morning – the swell hits 5ft from the ENE with 8-second period, and energy climbs to 273, but it’s still cross-shore and the report says “poor surf conditions.” That afternoon, things get bigger: swell jumps to 8ft from the ENE, period 11 seconds, and combined energy rockets to 1121 – that’s a lot of power. But the rating is only a 2 out of 10, called “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” Wind is cross-shore at 12 mph, so it won’t be clean. For experts only, and even then, it’s a gamble. That Monday afternoon is the biggest swell of the whole 16 days.

After that, it drops off. Tuesday afternoon the 1st of September shows a 5ft easterly swell with 9-second period and 534 energy, and the wind is cross-offshore from the ESE at 19 mph, which actually cleans it up. Still “marginal,” but it’s the closest to a session we get. The rest of the first week of September is all small, weak, and choppy.

The second week (from around the 5th of September) is a real flat spell. Swells rarely top 3ft, periods are short, and energy is mostly under 100. The 9th of September morning shows a 4ft NNE swell with a 12-second period and 349 energy – that’s a longer period groundswell, but it’s still cross-shore and lumpy. Not enough to get excited about.

Honestly, there’s no standout here. The best bet is that Monday afternoon the 31st, but it’s a long shot. If you’re a local, you’d be better off waiting for a better forecast or trying a different break. This stretch looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with that steady cross-shore wind and small swell.

Rusty.

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