Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Ritoque over the next couple of weeks. It’s a proper mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that are worth marking on the calendar.

We’re starting off on Tuesday, 14 July with a solid pulse of swell. The water is sitting at 54°F, which is about 2°F colder than you’d expect for this time of year – a bit chilly, so don’t forget the extra rubber. The main event is a nice 8ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 13 seconds, giving it real groundswell power. The combined energy is pumping at 2345 (moderate to strong), and with a light cross-off breeze from the north at 6 mph, the surface is looking clean. This is for the experienced crew though – nearly 8ft is getting into the “experts only” zone. A solid, powerful session with good shape, but only if you’ve got the skills.

The next few days are a write-off. Wednesday morning is a miss with a NE wind blowing 16 mph, and the swell drops off. Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, and Friday are all plagued by strong winds, rain, and messy conditions. Thursday morning sees a 28 mph cross-shore that will chop it up badly. Friday’s near-gale winds are a total no-go. There’s a good 3-4 day gap here where you’re better off doing something else.

Things start to clean up on Saturday afternoon, 18 July. A light offshore breeze from the east at 6 mph, with a 4ft SW swell at 12 seconds, makes for a lovely, clean session. The combined energy is 663 (moderate) – nothing huge, but fun, manageable waves. Then Sunday morning, 19 July, is also tidy with a light ENE cross-off and 4ft swell. Nice little weekend run for the intermediates.

Monday and Tuesday of the next week are back to poor conditions with cross-shore winds and chop. Then, on Wednesday morning, 22 July, we get a real treat. The wind swings offshore from the east at 9 mph, and we’ve got a 6ft W swell coming in. The period is a bit short at 9 seconds (windswell), so it won’t have the same grunt as a groundswell, but with a gentle offshore breeze and clean conditions, this is the standout of the week for the average punter. The combined energy sits at 657 (moderate). Get out there early.

A word of caution: Thursday, 23 July, a massive 12ft WSW swell rolls in with a 13-second period and combined energy of 3708 (very strong). This is way too big for this break – the data says it’s too big, so unless you’re a big-wave charger on a gun, give it a miss. Even the 10ft on Thursday afternoon is for experts only. Friday, 24 July, sees the swell drop to a still-juicy 8ft, but cross-shore winds will mess with the shape.

The following weekend, Saturday 25 July, has another clean window with a 6ft SW swell and an offshore ESE breeze at 9 mph. Sunday morning, 26 July, is glassy with a 3ft swell – small but perfect for a longboard or a learner session. Sunday afternoon picks up with a 4ft W swell, 13-second period (groundswell), and a clean offshore. That longer period will make for some nice walled-up waves at Ritoque, though it might be a bit straight for the beach break. The run continues into Monday 27 July with clean conditions and a 5ft W swell.

The forecast starts to get a bit messy again from Tuesday 28 July onwards, with increasing cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, though the swell hangs around in the 4ft to 7ft range. The later part of the outlook, Wednesday 29 July, has a 7ft WSW swell with a 12-13 second period, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be the cleanest.

Overall, the best bets are the Wednesday morning 22 July session for clean, fun waves, and the Sunday 26 July afternoon for a glassy, long-period groundswell.

Rusty.

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