Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's get into it.

Alright, we’ve got a pretty solid run of surf setting up here at Ritoque. This spot is exposed to a nice SW swell window, and the water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so not a bad thing for an early morning paddle out.

The swell starts coming in on Tuesday the 8th, but to be honest, that first day is a bit average. We've got a 5ft south-west swell with a 13-second period, but the wind is messy, making the surf a bit of a write-off for a proper session. The combined swell energy is moderate at 773, but the onshore flow just spoils it.

Wednesday the 9th morning is where we start to see a bit of hope. The swell has dropped a little to 3ft, but the wind is light and coming from the SSE, giving us a cross-offshore breeze. The water will be clean, and the combined energy is still reasonable at 359. It’s a good session for getting some smaller, clean lines.

Thursday the 10th morning is a real standout. The wind goes completely glassy, with a clean 3ft SW swell rolling in. That’s your window for the week. It won’t be big, but it will be perfect. The crowd situation says "sometimes," so you might have company, but with conditions that good, it’s worth it. The energy is moderate at 389.

Friday morning the 11th is similar, with a 3ft SW swell and a clean cross-offshore breeze. Another good day for a quiet, clean surf.

Now, mark your calendar for Saturday the 12th morning. The swell jumps up to a solid 7ft, but it's a shorter period of 9 seconds. With the clean SSE wind, the combined energy hits 674. This is a bigger, punchier wave. This is not a beginner wave – over 5ft, it gets a bit much for the less experienced. The afternoon gets messy again with the onshore wind.

Sunday the 13th morning is a treat. The swell has dropped to 2ft, but look at that period: 19 seconds. That's a long-period groundswell, and with glassy winds combined with an energy of 679, those waves will have real shape and power for their size. It’s a great morning for a reef or point setup, but at a beach break, those long-period waves can sometimes stand up and close out, so pick your bank.

Monday the 14th is another cracker. Clean 4ft swell with a 15-second period and glassy wind, giving high energy of 824. This is the best run of conditions.

We then mellow out through the middle of the week, with smaller but clean waves on Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th mornings, both glassy or with light offshore winds.

The surf goes quiet from Thursday the 17th through the weekend of the 20th. The swell drops, and the winds turn onshore. It’s a real lull.

But hold onto your board, because Monday the 21st morning comes in firing. The swell jumps to a big 8ft with a 12-second period, and the wind goes glassy from the East. The combined energy is a massive 1518. This is a call for experienced surfers only – that’s over 8ft, and it’s going to be powerful. The conditions are glassy, so if you’re up for it, it could be the wave of the period.

The following days still have some decent size, with a 7ft swell on Tuesday the 22nd morning, but the energy is still very high at 1297. Wind stays clean from the NNE, offering a cross-off, but it's still a big, powerful wave for experts.

We’ll finish the window on Wednesday the 23rd with smaller, clean morning surf as the swell backs off.

Overall, the best of the best are Thursday the 10th morning for that perfect small, glassy wave, and Monday the 21st morning for the big-wave crew. There's a solid week of clean, fun surf in between, so don't sleep on it.

- Rusty

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