The Reef (Culebra) Surf Break

Lat Long: 18.34° N 65.32° W

The Reef (Culebra) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 27 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Reef (Culebra) sea temperature is
29.5°C
0.9° 

The Reef (Culebra) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Reef (Culebra) surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, ENE swell with 784 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 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (AST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 8PM (Sun 30th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef (Culebra) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, listen up, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watching this stretch of coast for a long time. Let’s be straight with each other: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for The Reef (Culebra). We’ve got a long, drawn-out period of tiny, weak, and messy surf, so don’t go getting your hopes up for anything epic. The water temperature is sitting at 30°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a winter suit.

Looking at the charts, the first real pulse of energy doesn’t show up until the end of the first week. We’ve got a run of nothing but small, poor surf through the 27th of August all the way to the 5th of September. Swell heights barely tickle 2 ft to 5 ft, but the wind is a constant problem. For most of that stretch, it’s a fresh breeze, cross or cross-onshore, making for lumpy, choppy conditions. The combined energy is weak, often under 250, and those short, windswell periods of 5 to 8 seconds will just leave you bobbing around. Honestly, for the first week, it’s more of a kite-surfing breeze than a paddling session.

The only glimmer of hope, and I mean a faint one, comes on the 6th of September. Sunday morning and afternoon show a bump in the numbers. The swell direction swings around to the east, with a much longer period of 13 to 14 seconds, which is proper groundswell energy. The combined energy rises to 227 and 316 (moderate). The swell height is still modest, around 2 ft to 3 ft, but the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the ESE at 12 mph. That’s a recipe for clean, glassy faces at this reef. The only catch is the forecast is for a risk of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon, so keep an eye on the sky. Even then, the score is a marginal 1 out of 10, so don’t expect perfection.

After that little window, it drops back into a weak, poor state all the way through the 11th of September. The long-range stuff from the 6th is promising but far from certain. The break itself is a reef, very consistent, and exposed to the north, which is the optimum swell direction. It’s an intermediate wave, so the bigger swells won’t be for beginners, but we’re not getting any size here anyway. Crowds are sometimes a problem, but with this forecast, you’ll likely have the place to yourself.

So, to sum it up: the best option is that Sunday the 6th of September, with a clean, long-period east swell from 13 to 14 seconds, around 2 ft to 3 ft, and light offshore winds. The rest of the forecast is a write-off, with a big gap of poor conditions from now until then. Keep an eye on the models, but for now, I’d say take the board for a walk on the 6th and hope for the best.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu night, min 28°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Tue night, min 27°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SE on Sun night, light winds from the ESE by Mon night).

Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
NE
12
0.6
NE
12
0.5
NE
11
1.3
E
6
1.4
E
7
1.3
E
7
1.5
ENE
5
1.8
ENE
7
2.2
ENE
8
1.8
ENE
10
1.3
E
9
1.1
E
9
0.8
ENE
9
0.9
ENE
8
0.3
E
8
0.4
E
8
0.2
E
8
0.2
NNE
11
0.2
NNE
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
71
87
60
105
194
178
117
298
619
600
281
190
103
94
12
20
5
12
11
Wind (km/h)
30
E
30
E
25
E
30
E
30
E
30
E
30
ENE
35
ENE
30
E
25
ESE
25
SE
25
ESE
20
ESE
30
SE
25
ESE
30
ESE
30
ESE
25
E
25
E
Wind State
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
High Tide
8:43PM0.39m
8:24AM0.29m
9:11PM0.38m
9:15AM0.31m
9:37PM0.36m
10:05AM0.34m
10:04PM0.33m
10:56AM0.36m
10:31PM0.30m
11:50AM0.37m
11:00PM0.27m
12:49PM0.38m
11:31PM0.24m
Low Tide
3:18AM0.15m
2:34PM0.08m
3:40AM0.13m
3:21PM0.10m
4:02AM0.10m
4:12PM0.12m
4:26AM0.08m
5:07PM0.15m
4:54AM0.05m
6:09PM0.17m
5:28AM0.02m
7:22PM0.19m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
cloud
rain showers
mod rain
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:05
6:05
6:05
6:05
6:05
6:05
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:38
6:38
6:37
6:37
6:36
6:35
6:35
 mm
1
3
4
1
4
5
6
5
6
7
13
8
1
Temp °C
29
28
29
29
29
29
29
28
29
28
28
28
27
27
28
29
29
29
28
Feels °C
29
28
28
29
29
30
29
27
29
25
28
29
27
26
28
29
29
29
29
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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