Ristorante or La Toscana Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk about the same stretch, but in feet and miles.

Ristorante, also called La Toscana, is a reef break that’s fair game for intermediate surfers, and it’s fairly consistent. The water is 83° right now, which is 5° warmer than what’s normal for this time of year – that’s a serious anomaly, so you’ll be in boardies or a light spring suit.

The first week and a half is a real snoozer. From Thursday 30 July through to Tuesday 11 August, the swell is tiny – mostly 1 to 2 feet, with a period of only 3 to 5 seconds. That’s weak, short-period windswell. The combined energy is in the low double digits (4 to 38), so there’s barely any power. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, messing up the surface. There are a few glassy mornings, like Friday 31 July, Saturday 1 August, and Sunday 2 August, but with such tiny waves, it’s not worth getting wet. The best you’ll see is a dribble of 1 to 3 feet.

Things get a little more interesting from Wednesday 12 August. The swell picks up slightly. On Wednesday 12 August morning, you’ve got 3 feet from the WSW with a 6-second period and energy of 48 – still small, but the wind is glassy. Clean, but small. Thursday 13 August morning is the best of the bunch: 3 feet from the WSW, period still 6 seconds, but the energy climbs to 63 and the wind is glassy. For the first time, the comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s not pumping, but it’s the cleanest, most energetic window we get. The swell direction is SW, which is what this break likes. Keep in mind it’s a reef, so with a short period, you’re not getting long, wrapping lines – just short, punchy little waves.

Friday 14 August morning is also decent: 3 feet from the WSW, energy of 72, and a cross-off breeze from the ESE, so it’ll be clean. But again, small.

The afternoon of Thursday 13 August sees 4 feet from the SW, but the wind is onshore and the energy is 97 – still moderate, but not clean.

The best call is the morning of Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August. Small, clean, with the most energy of the whole 16 days. Crowds are sometimes an issue at Ristorante, so you might see a few others. For the rest of the outlook, it’s mostly flat and poor. A stretch like this is pretty normal for the area when the swell doesn’t show up.

Rusty.

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