Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Ritoque. There’s a bit of a slow start, but the second half of this 16-day stretch is where things get interesting. Let’s break it down.

The week kicks off with a Wednesday afternoon that’s totally glassy, but the swell is only 4ft from the WSW at a middling 11 seconds. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is pretty normal for this time of year – nothing weird going on there. It’s a gentle start, and the wave energy is moderate (400). Not a standout, but it’s clean.

Thursday morning gets a bit of a cross-shore breeze on a smaller 3ft swell, so that’s pretty average. Thursday afternoon picks up to 4ft but with a 20 km/h north wind making a chop – not worth paddling out for. Friday morning has a bigger 6ft swell but with 25 km/h winds and rain; the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Friday afternoon cleans right up though, with a light offshore-ish wind and a nice 5ft swell from the WNW at 9 seconds. Moderate energy (551) and clean conditions – that’s a solid afternoon session.

Saturday, the 1st of August, is where it starts to get good. Saturday morning is glassy with a 6ft WSW swell at 11 seconds and moderate energy (793). Come Saturday afternoon, we’ve got 7ft from the same direction, a 12-second period, and glassy conditions. The combined energy jumps to 1252 (strong), and it’s described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is one of the true standouts – a clean, powerful swell for the crew who know what they’re doing. It’s a little too big for beginners.

Sunday sees the swell hold around 6ft to 7ft but with a light cross-shore wind, so it’s decent but not as crisp. Monday the 3rd is glassy again with 6-6ft swells from the WSW at 10 seconds – clean, consistent, very good fun for intermediate surfers. The energy is moderate (725-778).

Tuesday the 4th turns messy with cross-onshore winds and a dropped swell. Wednesday the 5th has a big pulse: a 8ft swell from the WSW at a very long 16 seconds. The combined energy is massive (3156), but the wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it’s a little bumpy. With that long period, the wave shape will be better at the point break here, but the beach breaks might close out. This is a serious swell for experts only. Thursday the 6th keeps it large at 8ft from the SW at 13 seconds – still big, still strong energy (2209), but the wind is a bit more onshore later. The rest of that week is a mixed bag with decent sized swells but average wind.

Now, into the second week, the standout is Monday the 10th of August. Morning is glassy, 6ft from the SW at 12 seconds, and the energy is strong (1296). Excellent conditions for experienced surfers – that’s your pick for the second week. It’s crisp, powerful, and clean. Thursday the 13th is a funny one: the forecast shows a massive 10ft swell from the W with a 14-second period and light offshore wind – but the call is that it’s too big for the break. That’s wild energy (3099), and while it’ll be giant, it’s only for the absolute nutters, and even then, it might just be too much. After that, the swell fades out into smaller, cleaner waves around the 11th and 12th, but nothing that beats that Monday.

Overall, if you’re picking your moments, Saturday the 1st of August afternoon and Monday the 10th of August morning are your winners. The rest is a mix of clean sessions and onshore slop, but those two days are worth circling on the calendar.

Rusty.

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