Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf’s up, or it’s about to be. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a solid run of surf on the cards for Ritoque, but it’s not all clean sailing. The opening of the week has some good, clean waves but the ocean’s running a bit warm for the season, a touch above the norm. It’s not crazy, but you’ll notice it.

Monday morning (Aug 3rd) is where you wanna be. Glassy conditions with a WSW swell at 8ft, period of 12 seconds. The energy is solid, a strong 1534. This is proper surf for the experienced crew. The wind is dead off, so it’ll be clean, but it’s a fair size, so leave the foamies at home.

The rest of that day and Tuesday get a bit messy with cross and cross-on winds, making things choppy.

Wednesday morning (Aug 5th) is a bit of a wildcard. We’ve got a clean-ish 7ft swell with an onshore wind, but it’s light. It might be worth a look, but it’s not the standout.

Now, Thursday (Aug 6th) is big. The swell jumps to 10ft, but with a short period of 11 seconds and strong cross-shore winds, this is getting into “too big for the break” territory. It’s got a ton of energy, 2651, but this isn’t a day for most of us. If you’re an expert, it could be a beast, but it’s a serious step up.

After that, things ease off for a day. Friday (Aug 7th) the swell drops to 6ft but the period is a weak 8 seconds and the wind is on it. It’s not great.

The next standout is Saturday morning (Aug 8th) . The swell is back to a fun 6ft from the SW, period of 10 seconds, and we’ve got a cross-offshore wind. The energy is moderate at 1409, but it’s clean. The crowd factor could be a thing here as it's fairly consistent, so get out early.

The following week starts to show some real promise. Sunday morning (Aug 9th) has a bigger 8ft swell but the wind is light cross-on, and the energy is strong at 3046. It’s not perfect, but it’s got power.

Hold on to your hats for Monday (Aug 10th) . We’re back to 10ft of swell, and it’s again flagged as just too big for this break. Unless you’re on a step-up and looking for a beating, it’s a pass.

The middle of the week is small. Tuesday and Wednesday drop right down. Wednesday morning (Aug 12th) is glassy but tiny, 4ft. The long period (16 seconds) on Thursday is interesting, but the size is small and the winds are just okay.

The real gem of this whole forecast is Sunday morning and afternoon (Aug 16th) . It’s a week and a half out, so take it with a grain of salt, but the models are looking clean. We’ve got a 7ft and then 8ft WSW/SW swell with a beautiful 13-14 second period, and it’s glassy. The energy is massive, 1863 and then 3931. This is the one you circle on the calendar. It’s got everything: size, period, and clean conditions. This is the pick of the fortnight.

The run-up to it on Saturday afternoon (Aug 15th) is also looking nice with clean 4ft surf, a good warm-up.

The forecast closes out with some big, powerful surf on Monday and Tuesday (Aug 17-18th) , but at 10-13ft, it’s again just too big for Ritoque to be any fun for most. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s likely a washing machine. For the average surfer, that setup starts to look way more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfing.

So, your call: get on it early for the clean stuff, and maybe plan for that Sunday the 16th. Keep it on your radar.

Rusty.

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