Alykes - Zakynthos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one.

We’re looking at Alykes on Zakynthos, and to be honest, the surf forecast is a real bummer for the next 16 days. The good news is there’s never any dangerous, heavy swell, but the bad news is there’s almost *nothing* to ride.

The pattern is clear: we have a long, long stretch of flat or near-flat conditions. The first 16 days of the period are a total write-off for any decent surf. There’s a gap of about 15 days where you’d be better off looking at a different sport. The first real sign of life is a tiny, weak combination late in the period. Let’s walk through it.

The first few days are a total bust. Right through the 21st of July to the 24th, we’ve got glassy, clean mornings, but the swell is totally absent. It’s a paddling pool. The winds are favourable in the mornings – light and glassy – but with no waves, it’s just a day for a float, not a surf.

We get a slight flicker on the afternoon of the 24th of July. A tiny 1 ft swell from the NW with a pathetic 2-second period, carrying only 1 unit of combined energy. It’s a dribble, not a wave. The wind is cross-offshore, so it would be clean, but the wave size and period are just too small to be ridable for anyone.

The 25th of July morning shows a 1.3 ft swell from the NNE, but the wind is onshore, so it’s messy and blown out. The swell energy is still only 5 units. Not worth paddling out for.

From the 26th of July right through to the morning of the 4th of August, it’s a flat spell. Morning after morning of glassy conditions, but no swell. The afternoons are clean, but again, no waves. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no worries there, but you need something to ride.

The only faint glimmer comes on the 4th of August afternoon. We see a 1.3 ft swell from the NW, with a 2-second period and combined energy of 2 units. The wind is cross-offshore, so it will be clean. But mate, that’s a 1.3 ft wave with a 2-second period. It’s a ripple. For a beginner, it might be a place to learn to stand up on a foamie, but for anyone else, it’s not a surf.

The issue is that Alykes is a beach break that is inconsistent and rarely breaks. The swell direction never matches the optimum NE direction. The brief NW swells are too small and weak to do anything. The water is clean, the sun is out, but the ocean is flat. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for a flat-water paddle or a kite surf session if the wind picks up, but for a surfer? There’s nothing here. The forecast is reliable – it’s stays poor.

Stay hopeful, but this time, the forecast is not your friend.

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