The Reef (Culebra) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We've got a lot of wind and not a lot of decent waves, so you might want to find something else to do for a while. The one spot we're tracking is The Reef (Culebra), but it's not going to be easy.

We're looking at a serious stretch of poor conditions. The wind is going to be a constant problem, mostly blowing cross-shore and kicking up chop. For the first few days, from Saturday the 15th through to at least Thursday the 20th, it's all poor. We start with a 8ft swell at 8 seconds on Saturday afternoon, but with 25 mph cross-winds, it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. The energy is moderate at 712, but it won't matter with that wind. The rest of the week sees smaller surf, mostly under 3ft, with moderate to fresh cross-winds. We're looking at waves in the 1ft to 4ft range, just not doing anything. It's a brutal start.

There is a bit of a pulse trying to show up around Monday the 24th. The morning brings in a 7ft swell, pushing the energy to 335, and by the afternoon it's up to 8ft at 7 seconds with energy at 559. But again, the wind is howling from the east at 22 mph, so it's going to be rough and lumpy. Not great, but at least there's some size.

The standout, for what it's worth, shows up on Tuesday morning the 25th. We see the combined energy jump to a strong 2144, with an 8ft swell from the east at a long 11-second period. That’s the biggest, cleanest energy of the whole run. But, and it's a big but, the wind is a strong 28 mph cross-shore. This is going to be a full-on, expert-only, stormy mess. At 8ft, this is definitely beyond beginner territory, and with that wind, the reef is going to be raging. The afternoon eases off a bit to a 5ft swell, and the wind shifts to a cross-off at 22 mph, cleaning it up some. That Tuesday afternoon might be your only real window for something semi-rideable all fortnight.

After that, it all fades away again. From Wednesday the 26th to the end of the month, we're back to small, weak surf, with the swell dropping from under 3ft down to a measly 0.3ft. The energy drops back to single digits. The winds don't give up, though, staying in that moderate to fresh cross/cross-off range. It's a long, flat, and blown-out run to finish out the forecast. The crowds might be non-existent, but so will the waves.

So, to wrap it up: it's going to be a tough stretch of beach time. The only day that even gets close to interesting is Tuesday the 25th, and that's for experts only and still on the hairy side. Keep your board in the car, but maybe don't take it out of the bag.

Rusty, out.

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