Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty here.

Let's get straight into it. The next couple of weeks at Ritoque are a mixed bag, to be honest. There's some punchy swell on the way, but the wind's going to be a bit of a prickly customer for a lot of it. The real window of opportunity looks like it's a bit further out, so you'll want to be patient.

Staring us down in the short term, there's some small, messy surf. Sunday the 16th has a bit of a pulse at 3ft from the southwest, but a moderate cross-shore breeze will have it chopped up. The energy is weak, coming in at 513, and it’s not worth getting too excited about. Monday's a bit of the same, with light rain and a cross-onshore wind. We're not looking at any standouts here.

The swell starts to build as we head into Tuesday the 18th. We're seeing 5ft on the Tuesday morning, but it's cross-shore and a bit raw. The energy jumps to a moderate 1485, but it's not clean. By Wednesday the 19th, the swell is up to 6ft with a nice long 15-second period from the southwest. The energy is getting strong, hitting 1765, and the wind is light. This is when things start to get interesting, but the forecast notes mention "questionable tide conditions," so it might not be perfect. Still, the potential is there for some decent waves.

Thursday the 20th sees the swell ease slightly to 6ft, but the wind picks up again in the afternoon, putting a dampener on things. By Friday the 21st, we've got a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is small at 3ft, but the afternoon sees a jump to 8ft. However, it's coming with a short 8-second period and a cross-onshore breeze, which will just make it a messy, lumpy close-out. Not great.

Saturday the 22nd is bigger again, up to 8ft from the southwest. The wind is cross-onshore, and it's going to be a bit of a battle. This is getting into the size where it's not for beginners. The swell period is a moderate 10 seconds. Honestly, with this swell size and the wind, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.

We finally get a bit of a reprieve on Sunday the 23rd. The wind drops right out in the afternoon, and it's looking glassy. Swell is down to a more manageable 5ft from the southwest. The energy is weak, at 378, but clean surf beats big, messy surf any day of the week. This could be a fun one.

Monday the 24th has a bit of a cross-offshore wind in the morning, which should keep things clean, but the swell has dropped to a small 3ft. The 21-second period on Tuesday the 25th is a real oddity, but the swell is tiny, only 1ft. It's a very long period, which usually means better shape, but there's just not enough energy in the water to do anything with it. The energy is weak at 472.

There's another little pulse of small, glassy surf on the 26th and 27th, with 2ft swell from the southwest. These look clean, but very small. Fine for a longboard if you're keen.

But here's where things get serious. Friday the 28th sees a serious swell fill in. We're looking at 8ft from the west-southwest with a solid 14-second period. The energy is strong, at 1896. The wind is a bit of a factor, but the power is there.

Now, the standout. Saturday the 29th. This is the one. The swell is still a meaty 8ft from the west-southwest, but the wind goes totally glassy. The energy is strong at 1803, and the forecast is rating this as "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." This is a big, powerful swell, so it's not one for the learners. This is the day for the crew who know what they're doing. It's over 8ft, so it's expert territory.

The energy carries into Sunday the 30th, and the swell backs off slightly to a more manageable 6ft. There's a cross-offshore wind in the afternoon, cleaning it up nicely.

And then, to round it all off, Monday the 31st is looking like another cracker. The swell is a clean 4ft from the southwest, but the wind is dead calm, completely glassy. The energy is strong at 1800, and the conditions are forecast as excellent. It's a day that promises long, clean walls.

So, in a nutshell, the first week is mostly a write-off with small, messy surf. The standout days are Saturday the 29th for the big, powerful, glassy waves for experts, and Monday the 31st for a cleaner, slightly smaller day that should still have heaps of energy. Keep an eye on that forecast, because it's a long way out, but it's looking promising.

Rusty out.

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