Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a pretty mixed bag for you today. We’re looking at Ritoque, and to be honest, the first real action isn’t until later this week. There's a big pulse of swell coming in, but for the first chunk of the outlook, you’ll be twiddling your thumbs. Let’s get into it.

The only spot on the radar for the whole 16-day window is Ritoque. Right now, we’ve got a dry spell until Thursday, 27 August. That morning, a solid 12ft WSW swell rolls in with a long 14-second period – that’s a powerful groundswell pushing a massive amount of energy (4948). The water is sitting at 57°, which is bang on average for this time of year. But here’s the thing: that swell is just too big for this break. Unless you’re a proper expert, it’s going to be a handful. The wind is light onshore at 3 mph, so it’s not messy, but the sheer size takes it out of the conversation for most. Thursday afternoon is the same story – still too big.

Friday, 28 August, the swell settles to 8ft from the WSW, but the tide and conditions look marginal. The wind stays light onshore, but the wave quality isn’t there to get excited about. Saturday, 29 August, drops a bit more to 6ft, but we get a cross-onshore breeze that kills the shape – the score is rubbish.

Sunday, 30 August, shows a 6ft WSW swell with a clean offshore wind at 3 mph in the morning. That’s a moment where it could clean up, but the overall energy is dropping (789), and the tide isn’t cooperating. It’s still marginal.

Monday, 31 August, into the first week of September, the swell fades further. You’re looking at 5ft or smaller, with the wind swinging cross-shore or cross-onshore more often than not. Tuesday, 2 September, brings a tiny 2ft swell with a very long 18-second period – that’s proper ocean energy but way too small to do anything with. The wind stays light, so it’s clean, but you won’t catch a wave worth paddling for.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Thursday, 3 September, we see a 5ft WSW swell with a 15-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell starting to rebuild. The energy climbs to 1071. The wind is cross-onshore and gentle, so it’s not perfect, but it’s a sign of better things.

Friday, 4 September, this is the standout. The morning brings a 7ft SW swell, 13-second period, and a light cross-onshore breeze (6 mph) – it’s clean. The energy is strong at 1659. For an expert surfer, this is the best window. The swell direction (SW) lines up well with the optimum for Ritoque, and the wind is light enough to keep the surface smooth. The afternoon picks up to 8ft, but the wind increases to 12 mph and turns more onshore, so stick to the early session. If you’re an expert, 4 September morning is your call.

After that, Saturday, 5 September, drops to 7ft, but the wind freshens and goes cross-shore, making it lumpy. The following week (from 7 September onward) sees a consistent run of 6ft to 8ft swells from the SW and WSW, with mostly light cross-onshore winds. The period drops to the 11-second range, which is decent but not as powerful as the earlier groundswell. The energy is moderate to strong (932 to 2280). None of these sessions jump out as perfect because the wind never fully goes offshore, but for a surfer who’s happy with okay conditions, the mornings from 7 to 11 September offer rideable waves with minimal chop. The beach break setup means those longer-period swells (15 seconds) can be a bit straight, but the 11- to 14-second windows should give some shape.

Crowds? This spot can get busy, so be prepared to share the water, especially if the quality picks up.

For the second week, the outlook is more of the same: moderate swell, light breezes, and a lot of "okay" mornings. Nothing truly epic beyond that 4 September window.

So, the takeaway: if you’re an expert, get out on Friday, 4 September morning. Everyone else should wait for the cleaner, smaller days – maybe Sunday, 6 September afternoon, with that 7ft and clean onshore wind – but don’t expect perfection.

Stay stoked, and keep an eye on the horizon.

Rusty.

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