Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks at Ritoque. The water is sitting at 58°, which is a touch warmer than you’d normally expect for this time of year – nothing too wild, but it’s a nice little bonus if you’re out there.

The whole 16-day window isn’t exactly a ripper, but there’s one standout that’s worth setting the alarm for. Monday, the 31st of August, is your best bet. The morning is glassy – dead calm, 0 mph wind off the south – and that’s a massive plus. Swell is coming in from the west-southwest at 4 ft, with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined swell energy is 556, which is moderate. It’s a solid, clean little session for the intermediate surfer, and the crowd factor is only “sometimes,” so you might even get a few peaks to yourself. The break is exposed to the swell and the direction is a good match for the optimum southwest flow. That’s the one to go for.

After that Monday morning, things get messy. Monday afternoon, the wind swings to the south-southwest and picks up, turning cross-onshore, and the quality drops off. Tuesday through to the end of the first week is mostly a write-off: the wind stays onshore, the swell gets a bit chunky but the conditions are poor. There’s a couple of days around the 6th and 7th of September where the swell is still running around 5 ft to 5 ft from the southwest, and the wind is lighter, but the forecast is marginal – not terrible, but you’d be rolling the dice.

Into the second week, from the 8th of September onward, it’s a bit of a flat spell. The swell drops off below 3 ft, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or light with a few small windows of more promising conditions. Nothing really stands out as a good session. The combined energy drops to weak levels, around 131 to 184, which tells you the ocean’s just not putting in the effort.

The only real highlight is that Monday morning, the 31st of August. Get out there if you can.

Rusty

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