Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty.

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Ritoque. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. The water’s sitting at 57° – that’s pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing wild going on there.

The first window of interest is Saturday morning, the 22nd. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell coming from the southwest, with a period of 10 seconds and a moderate energy of 486. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW, which is a real treat – it’ll keep the surface glassy. This is your best bet for the early part of the run. It’s not a giant, but it’s clean and rideable.

After that, things go pretty quiet. From Saturday afternoon right through to Wednesday morning, the 26th, we’re looking at small, weak swell and mostly cross-on winds. The waves are there, but they’re not going to get you excited. You’ll be scratching for anything decent.

Wednesday morning, the 26th, sees a bump in size to 5ft from the WSW, with a period of 12 seconds and energy of 672. The wind is still cross-on, so it’s a bit messy. Not a standout, but a step up from the flat spell.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting – but only for the brave. Thursday morning, the 27th, a big pulse of 10ft swell from the WSW hits, with a very long period of 16 seconds and massive energy of 4939. That’s a serious groundswell, but the problem is it’s too big for this break. It’s a one-way ticket to a beating unless you’re a proper expert. Same story for Thursday afternoon and into Friday morning, the 28th, with 8ft to 12ft. The wind is light, but the size is just too much for most.

The best of the whole run, the one you want to circle on your calendar, is Saturday afternoon, the 29th. Swell drops to a manageable 7ft from the WSW, period of 12 seconds, and energy of 1156. The wind goes glassy, dead calm from the SW. That’s the kind of afternoon that makes all the waiting worth it. Clean, lined-up waves for experienced surfers.

We’ve got a couple of other decent windows later on. Sunday afternoon, the 30th, has 5ft from the WSW with a cross-off wind, making for clean conditions. And then Saturday morning, the 5th of September, looks promising with 8ft from the WSW and glassy conditions again – that’s another one for the experienced crew. But keep in mind, that’s a week and a half away, so treat it as a promising idea rather than a guarantee.

The rest of the run is a mix of onshore winds, lumpy chop, and strong winds that make it feel more like a kite session than a paddle day. The 1st and 2nd of September, in particular, are blown out by fresh SSW winds at 18 mph, with short, weak swell. Not worth the paddle.

So, bottom line: your standout is Saturday afternoon, the 29th – glassy, 7ft, and clean. The backup is Saturday morning, the 22nd, for a smaller but fun, offshore morning. The rest is either too big, too small, or too windy.

Rusty.

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