Ritoque Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks are gonna test your patience, but there are a couple of windows where it all comes together. Don't expect a non-stop party, but keep your eyes on the horizon.

First up, we’ve got a solid pulse of swell for Friday the 28th. Ritoque is the spot, and it’s looking proper. We’re talking head-high plus surf at 8ft, coming from the WSW with a clean 14-second period. That’s some proper long-period groundswell energy, and the combined energy is up there at 2460, which is strong. The wind is glassy at 3 mph, and it’s clear skies. This is the standout of the whole stretch – the water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 57°, which is a nice little bonus. This one’s for the experienced crew; 8ft is pushing it for the learning phase.

The surf eases off a bit over the weekend. Saturday the 29th sees 6ft dropping to 6ft, but a light cross-onshore breeze starts to mess with the surface. It’s not terrible, but it’s not clean. Sunday the 30th is smaller again at 6ft, with a cross-shore wind, so it's just a bit average. We’re in a bit of a lull here. Monday and Tuesday, the 31st and 1st, are pretty lackluster—small, and the wind is all over the place. This is the kind of stretch where you’re better off doing a few maintenance jobs.

Then Wednesday the 2nd of September just dies. Swell drops to under 3ft, and the energy is weak. Not worth paddling out for a wave. It’s a dead period. But, hold on, there’s a change on the horizon. The 3rd of September shows a bump back up to 5-5ft, but the winds are going to be onshore and messy. For a beach break like Ritoque, that’s going to chop things up. Might have some push, but it’ll be a battle.

Now, here’s the other interesting one. The morning of Friday the 4th of September looks like a classic. We’ve got 5ft of WSW swell, but more importantly, we score a light cross-offshore wind from the SSE that cleans it right up. The notes say “clean,” and I believe it. It’s a smaller day, but the quality should be there. This is a good call for a dawny before the afternoon onshores kill it.

After that, the pattern gets messy. We’ve got a few days of building energy, but it’s coupled with stronger onshore winds. The 5th and 6th of September see the swell push back up over 5ft and even 7ft, but it’s coming with a lot of cross-on shore wind. It’s going to be lumpy. The 7th of September keeps that 6ft but with light onshore winds. Still, it's not looking like the clean conditions we had earlier.

The second week is a bit of a lottery. The swell hangs around the 4ft to 5ft range, but the winds are mostly light and cross-onshore. There’s a moment on the morning of the 12th where the swell fills in a bit to 5ft with a light wind, and the afternoon looks glassy at 5ft. That could be another sneaky good session if the forecasts hold. But it’s far out, so you gotta take it with a grain of salt. The energy is a lot weaker by then, too.

So, to cut a long story short: if you’re an experienced surfer, Friday the 28th is your day. It’s got size, power, and cleanliness. If you miss that, aim for the clean windows on the morning of the 4th, and keep a close eye on the afternoon of the 12th. Everything else in between is mostly a fight with the wind for average waves.

Rusty out.

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