Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, let’s talk about the stretch ahead. The outlook for the next couple of weeks is a mixed bag, with a few windows of proper surf but a whole lot of waiting in between. The water is sitting at a normal 57°F for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

Right off the bat, Wednesday afternoon looks like the pick of the early week. We’ve got 7ft of west-southwest groundswell rolling in at a solid 13 seconds, and the wind is dead glassy. It’s not going to be perfect for beginners at that size, but for anyone with a bit of experience, Ritoque is going to be clean and fun. The energy is strong with a reading of 1980, and the swell is coming from the southwest, which is right in the sweet spot for this spot.

Thursday and Friday turn messy. A strong south-southwest wind kicks up on Thursday morning, creating a cross-chop that ruins the surface. The swell stays similar, around 7ft, but it’s just not going to be worth it. Friday isn't much better, with a shorter-period swell and more onshore wind. You’ll see waves, but they’ll be lumpy and hard to enjoy.

Saturday the 8th is a big one. The swell jumps up to 10ft from the southwest with a very long 14 second period, and the energy reading is a hefty 3098. This is a powerful swell, and the conditions on Saturday morning are favorable for wind and tide, but honestly, this is just too much water for Ritoque. The wave comment says it best: it’s too big for this break. Only experts should be looking at this, and even then, it’s going to be heavy and potentially out of control. The cross-shore wind on Saturday morning won't help much either, and by the afternoon it goes fully cross-onshore with a fresh breeze, so you can forget about it.

Sunday the 9th stays big and grumbly. We're looking at 8ft to 10ft of swell, but the SW wind is cross-onshore and choppy. It’s just a washing machine out there. The energy is significant, with readings in the high 3000s, but that doesn't mean it's good. This is a case of too much swell and poor wind.

There’s a lull coming Monday through early Wednesday. The swell drops down, but the wind stays messy. Monday the 10th has some head-high waves, but a light cross-shore wind is not enough to clean up the chop. It’s just not a good look. By Wednesday the 12th, it’s down to less than 3ft and basically dead. This is a dead stretch.

Now, here’s the real standout that you need to keep an eye on. On Thursday the 13th, the wind drops out completely and goes glassy again. The swell is smaller, around 4ft, but it’s clean – real clean. The period is 16 seconds, so there’s plenty of push behind it, and the guidance says to expect very good surf conditions. This is way better than the bigger, messier days earlier. The energy is moderate, but the quality is going to be top-notch. This is the one to circle on the calendar for a proper surf.

Friday the 14th and the weekend see the swell fade and the wind turn a little onshore again. It's not awful, but it’s not exciting. There will be waves in the 3ft range, but nothing that will get your heart pumping.

Looking into the second week, the forecast gets a little more speculative. There’s another pulse of southwest swell showing up around Tuesday the 18th, with the swell height building back up to 7ft by the afternoon. That looks promising, but the wind is still a bit cross-onshore.

Then Wednesday the 19th has another solid pulse, with swell pushing up to 8ft and then 10ft, and the energy readings get very strong again (3622 and 4526). But, just like Saturday the 8th, it looks like it might be too big again. Wednesday morning has an onshore wind, and then it swings cross-shore by the afternoon. This late surge is promising, but I’d be cautious about the size at this break.

So, to sum it up: The cleanest, most user-friendly surf is on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday the 13th, both offering glassy conditions with a solid SW groundswell. The big swells around the 8th and 19th are for experts only, and a lot of the days in between are just blown out or flat. Get on it early next week.

Rusty, out.

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