Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Ritoque.

We’ve got a decent run of surf lined up, starting right now and stretching out through the first week, but the back half of the 16-day window gets a bit lean. The real standouts are the mornings with glassy or clean conditions, and the best of the best falls on Tuesday the 8th and Sunday the 13th.

First up, Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning is a beauty. Swell is 5ft from the SW with a solid 13-second period, giving that long groundswell feel. Combined energy is moderate at 773. The wind is glassy from the S at only 3 mph. This is as clean as it gets. That’s your top call for the whole outlook. By afternoon the wind swings onshore and things drop off, so make the most of the early session.

Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th mornings both offer 3ft to 4ft SW swell, period around 12-13 seconds, with cross-off winds from the SSE at just 3 mph. Clean conditions and moderate energy levels around 448 and 406. Good waves for a confident intermediate. Afternoons get messy again with cross-onshore winds.

Friday the 11th morning is similar, 3ft SW clean with a light cross-off breeze. Worth a look. Afternoon’s a no-go.

Saturday the 12th jumps up to 6ft SW, but the period drops to 9 seconds – that’s shorter-period wind swell behaviour. The wind is cross-shore from the S at 6 mph, so there will be some bumps. Energy is moderate at 569. It’s marginal, not the pick.

Now, Sunday the 13th – this is your second standout. Morning brings 5ft SW with a very weak NNE breeze, glassy as anything. Energy is moderate-high at 610. The wave comment says “very good surf conditions”. That’s a morning to circle on the calendar. By the afternoon the onshore wind returns and the swell period goes long to 18 seconds, with some messy chop.

Monday the 14th morning has 4ft SW with a 15-second period, making it a proper groundswell. But winds are cross from the S, so it’s not perfect. Still, there’s pulse there.

From Tuesday the 15th onward, the pattern is mostly cross-on or onshore winds in the afternoons and only occasional clean windows in the mornings. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th mornings are clean or glassy, but the swell drops – 3ft on Thursday with that glassy SSW breeze. That’s a small, tidy session for a longboard or a funboard. Combined energy is down to 364.

Friday the 18th morning gives a bump back to 4ft SW, 14-second period, with cross wind – not glassy, but clean enough with moderate-high energy at 686.

Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th mornings turn glassy again, but the swell drops to 3ft and then 2ft. Energy falls to 327 and 217. These are small, clean, mellow sessions.

By Monday the 21st, the swell is tiny – 2ft – and the wind is cross-on, so skip it. Tuesday the 22nd morning offers a little bounce back to 4ft with a clean SSE cross-off, energy at 292. That’s your best bet for the second week. Wednesday the 23rd is just marginal.

Overall, the first week has the juice, especially the mornings of the 8th and 13th. After that, you’re looking at smaller cleaner windows, but nothing with real power. A couple of gaps in the second week where there’s just nothing worth paddling out for – Monday the 21st is a write-off, and the afternoons are consistently poor from the 15th on.

Get it early, and get it while it’s good.

Rusty.

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