
Surf Forecasts:
The Reef (Culebra) surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, E swell with 99 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Reef (Culebra) this week:
The surf forecast for The Reef (Culebra) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef (Culebra) in the next 16 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) 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 1.8m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef (Culebra) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let's have a look at what's on the table for the Culebra area over the next couple of weeks. I'm just gonna be straight with you – this is a tough run. We're looking at a long, quiet stretch to kick things off.
The first real chance of anything surfable is gonna be around midday on Thursday the 10th of September, but don't get your hopes up just yet. The Reef (Culebra) will see a jump in the combined energy to about 316, but it's a messy, short-period 6 ft swell from the East with a period of only 6 seconds. That's going to be a lumpy, weak, and pretty poor wave. On top of that, the wind is going to be pumping from the ESE at 22 mph, which is a fresh breeze. For a reef break, that's just not going to be clean. It's a setup that frankly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
After that little blip, we slide back into a long, quiet lull. The rest of the forecast is dominated by tiny, weak swells – mostly under 3 ft – with cross-offshore winds that keep the surface clean, but there's just no energy. The combined swell energy sits mostly in the double digits or low triple digits, meaning there's nothing for a wave to stand up on. Days on end with nothing to ride.
There is a flicker of something on the horizon around the 16th and 17th of September, a week and a half away. We see the combined energy start to build again, hitting 275 on the morning of Thursday the 17th. That's a 4 ft swell from the NNE with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is still a strong cross-offshore from the ESE at 19 mph, which is not ideal, but it's better than the direct onshore junk we see on the 10th. The 17th afternoon shows a similar story with 4 ft from the NNE, but the wind swings a bit more SE and strengthens.
So, truth be told, there are no standout days in this window. The only window that even offers a glimpse of a real swell is that Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of September. The reef is super consistent here, so it will break, but with the fresh wind and the swell not being a perfect match for the optimum North direction, it's going to be a battle. The water temp is unremarkable, about average for the time of year. It's a frustrating outlook, but that's the way it is sometimes. The forecasts can always change, so keep an eye out, but for now, you might be better off finding something else to do.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 28°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 28°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 4 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 53 | 19 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 43 | 31 | 35 | 21 | 21 | 31 | 53 | 28 | 54 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:31PM0.24m | 1:53PM0.38m | 00:09AM0.23m | 3:04PM0.39m | 1:01AM0.21m | 4:15PM0.40m | 2:18AM0.21m | 5:21PM0.41m | 3:50AM0.22m | 6:18PM0.42m | 5:17AM0.24m | 7:06PM0.42m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:11AM0.00m | 8:51PM0.20m | 7:04AM-0.01m | 10:25PM0.20m | 8:08AM-0.01m | 11:40PM0.19m | 9:22AM0.00m | 00:31AM0.18m | 10:39AM0.01m | 1:10AM0.17m | 11:50AM0.03m | 1:44AM0.16m | |||||||
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
6:35 | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 7 | NNE 10 | NE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 |
4 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 53 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 31 | 35 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 53 | 28 | 54 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | NNE 10 | SE 9 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 9 | SSE 5 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 |
3 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 11 | NE 6 | S 9 | SE 9 | — | — | S 8 | — | — | — | S 8 | S 9 | NE 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | NE 11 | E 7 | NNE 8 | NNW 8 |
11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 31 | 4 | 6 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | E 4 | E 5 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SE 4 | E 5 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 6 | ESE 6 |
9 | 17 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 37 | 44 | 98 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 68 | 105 | 105 | 39 | 105 | 98 | 39 | 105 | 105 | 39 | 105 | 105 | 80 |
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.










