
Surf Forecasts:
The Reef (Culebra) surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, E swell with 260 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Reef (Culebra) this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef (Culebra) in the next 16 days are 1.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef (Culebra) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
What’s up, crew? Rusty here. I gotta give it to you straight: this whole stretch for The Reef (Culebra) is a total bummer. We are looking at a long, long stretch of flatness and cross-shore winds that’ll chew up anything that tries to break.
Water’s a balmy 85°, which is about 1° above normal for this time of year. Not a big deal, just a little warm.
We start off Tuesday afternoon with a tiny 1ft northeast swell, but the 25 km/h east wind is blowing cross-shore, making it all choppy and jumbled. The energy is weak at 64. Wednesday morning cleans up a touch with a cross-offshore breeze, but it’s still a sad 1ft. Then Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, a slightly bigger east swell fills in to around 5ft, and the energy gets into the moderate range, 271 to 275. But the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, and with that fresh cross-shore wind, it’s going to be lumpy and ugly.
Friday afternoon might be the only sliver of hope. A 4ft southeast swell with a 6-second period rolls in, and the wind turns cross-offshore, making it look clean. But the energy is weak at 135, so there won’t be much push. Maybe a few fun little wedges for a short while.
Then, the bottom falls out. From the 15th until the end of the window on September 23rd, we are scraping the barrel. Wave heights drop to 2ft or less most days, with many mornings seeing under 1ft. Energy readings go from weak to practically zero, down into the single digits. There are a few glassy, clean mornings with those ESE cross-offshore winds on the 18th, 19th, and 20th, but the swell is so tiny, it’s just flat, shiny water. The period does stretch out to 11-13 seconds from the north-northeast, but with that little swell, it just doesn’t matter. The 21st through the 23rd is just dead – swell under 1ft, energy down to 4 or 5. It’s grim.
To be fair, a few days around the 16th with the cross-shore winds and lumpy chop might look more promising for kite surfing than paddle surfing, but for us, it’s a hard pass. There are no standout sessions, no hidden gems. Just a long, flat, and windy run that’s gonna test your patience. It’s just one of those times.
Rusty, out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 28°C on Tue afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 28°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | E 5 | NE 11 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | NNE 9 | E 5 | NNE 8 | E 6 | N 8 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
36 | 108 | 31 | 239 | 191 | 243 | 29 | 119 | 24 | 108 | 11 | 107 | 70 | 37 | 37 | 46 | 62 | 129 | 70 | 15 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 7:06PM0.42m | 6:31AM0.28m | 7:49PM0.41m | 7:36AM0.32m | 8:26PM0.39m | 8:34AM0.36m | 9:00PM0.37m | 9:27AM0.39m | 9:31PM0.34m | 10:16AM0.40m | 10:01PM0.30m | 11:04AM0.40m | 10:29PM0.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:44AM0.16m | 12:57PM0.05m | 2:17AM0.14m | 1:58PM0.07m | 2:48AM0.12m | 2:56PM0.09m | 3:18AM0.10m | 3:53PM0.12m | 3:47AM0.09m | 4:48PM0.14m | 4:17AM0.07m | 5:44PM0.16m | 4:48AM0.06m | |||||||
— | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
6:29 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:23 | — | |
mm | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Temp °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | NNE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NNE 11 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 7 | SE 6 | E 9 | SE 6 | NNE 10 | ENE 9 | NNE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
24 | 47 | 31 | 30 | 12 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 32 | 24 | 9 | 18 | 29 | 16 | 70 | 15 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 12 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 10 | N 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | — | ESE 8 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | N 7 | SE 6 | NNE 10 | N 6 | NNE 9 | NE 12 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 |
36 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 3 | — | 7 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | — | — | N 7 | N 6 | — | — | N 13 | — | N 12 | N 12 | NE 11 | ESE 8 | N 6 | N 6 | SE 9 | NNE 12 | S 9 | NNE 11 | NE 11 |
4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | ESE 8 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 9 | SE 5 | E 5 |
78 | 108 | 193 | 239 | 191 | 243 | 264 | 119 | 106 | 108 | 92 | 107 | 70 | 37 | 37 | 46 | 62 | 129 | 18 | 46 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 796 | 139 | 79 | 871 | 487 | 79 | 196 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 98 | 520 | 796 | 430 | 487 | 871 | 98 | 487 | 139 | 68 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Reef (Culebra) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Reef (Culebra) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Reef (Culebra) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Reef (Culebra) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Reef (Culebra)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Reef (Culebra) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.










