Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the Ritoque stretch over the next couple of weeks.

We kick off Sunday morning, August 2nd, with a solid pulse of energy. The water's sitting at 57°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year – nothing unusual. The real story is the swell. We've got a powerful 8ft swell rolling in from the W, with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is pumping at 2194. The wind is light and cross-off from the ESE, so the morning session is looking clean and lined up. This is proper experienced surfers' territory though – that size isn't for the faint-hearted. Then Sunday afternoon, the wind goes glassy, calm as anything, and the swell shifts slightly to the WSW, still 8ft, energy at 2110. It's going to be absolutely perfect for the crew who know what they're doing.

Monday morning, August 3rd, we're still on a decent 8ft WSW swell, energy at 1534, but the wind is cross-on from the SSW, so it's a bit bumpy. Not your best bet. Monday afternoon, the wind drops to glassy again, and the swell is 7ft, energy 1274 – another clean window for the experienced crew.

Tuesday, August 4th, is a write-off. The wind is onshore and cross-on all day, and the swell is dropping. The guidance is marginal, and the energy is still moderate at around 1293 in the morning, but the quality is gone.

Wednesday, August 5th, is a hidden gem. Wednesday morning, with a clear sky and a slight air, the swell is 5ft from the WSW, energy 1154, and the wind is glassy. But the real standout is Wednesday afternoon. The swell jumps to 7ft, the period stretches out to a very long 16 seconds, and the energy rockets to 2354. The wind is glassy from the W. This is a groundswell pulse, and it's going to be absolutely gorgeous. The long period means beautiful, powerful lines, but it might be a bit too much for the beach breaks – it'll be best at the points and reefs.

Thursday, August 6th, is a bit of a mixed bag. Morning has rain showers and wind on from the WNW, swell 6ft, energy 1099, but it's messy. The afternoon is better, but still cross-on.

Friday, August 7th, morning is cross-shore and clean from the S, with a 7ft SW swell, energy 2212. It's a solid, clean option. The afternoon, however, gets a bit wild. The swell is 10ft from the SW, period drops to 10 seconds, and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore. That's a lot of chunky, short-period swell, and the setup is more suited to the kite surfers than paddle surfing.

Saturday, August 8th, is a mess. Morning is cross-shore with a 8ft SW swell, energy 2090, but it's lumpy. The afternoon is a full-on fresh breeze from the SSW, 35 km/h, with a 12ft SW swell and energy at 4885. That's just hostile for paddle surfing.

Sunday, August 9th, through to the end of the second week, it's a story of dropping swell and persistent cross-on winds. There are a few moments of promise – like Sunday morning, August 9th, with a 6ft SW swell and a 17-second period, energy 3775, but the wind is cross-shore, not clean. And then on Sunday, August 16th, the morning session has a glassy wind, a 5ft SW swell with a long 15-second period, and energy at 1311. That's a proper, clean, long-period groundswell session. But the rest of the second week is plagued by onshore winds and smaller, shorter-period swells, with energy dipping below 1000. It's all fairly marginal.

So, the standout sessions are Sunday August 2nd both morning and afternoon, and Wednesday August 5th afternoon. Those are the ones to circle on the calendar. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty

Read more