The Reef (Culebra) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s heading our way for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—it’s a pretty flat and quiet run ahead for the most part. The swell window is just not open for business, and the trades are going to be a constant pain. Let’s get into it.

The only spot I’ve got to work with is The Reef (Culebra). Straight off the bat, the water is sitting at 85°F which is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there.

We kick off on Saturday the 12th, and honestly, it’s a non-starter. We’ve got a tiny 3 ft swell from the east with a shocking 5-second period, combined energy is a weak 62, and the wind is a solid 16 mph cross-shore from the east. It’s just a mess of lumpy chop with no power. Poor surf conditions is all we get. Sunday and Monday don’t get any better—same story with smaller waves and that cross-shore wind sticking around. The swell drops to 1 ft and the energy numbers are in the 40s and 50s. This is essentially flat.

We roll into mid-week, Tuesday the 15th through Thursday the 17th, and there’s a slight pulse. On Thursday morning the 17th, the energy climbs to 111 (moderate) and we see 4 ft from the east with a 6-second period. The wind shifts to a cross-off from the east at 19 mph, so the surface cleans up a bit. But that period is still far too short to be meaningful. It’s going to be crumbly and weak. The afternoon of the 17th gets windier and lumpier again.

Then from the 18th through the 22nd, it’s back to depressing 0.7 ft to 1 ft swells, mostly clean with cross-off winds but absolutely no size. The energy numbers drop into the teens and twenties. There’s a solid week-long gap here where you’re not going to want to paddle out.

Looking further out into the last week of the month, things perk up just slightly. Around Thursday the 24th, we get a little pulse from the north-northwest with a 1 ft swell and an 11-second period—that’s a cleaner long-period signal. The wind is cross-off from the east-southeast, so conditions are clean. Energy is 51, but it’s just not enough wave height to get excited about. Friday the 25th holds similar 2 ft from the north, but the period drops to 9 seconds and the wind goes back to cross-shore.

The best of a bad bunch might be Saturday the 26th. We get 3 ft from the north-northeast, a 9-second period, and combined energy of 108 (moderate). The wind is a 16 mph cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but there’s at least a bit of push there. Still, it’s tiny.

Bottom line: this is a long, flat stretch. The prevailing east winds and lack of any decent groundswell mean The Reef is just not on. Kite surfers might get more out of the steady breeze than we will. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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