Arpoador Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s see what’s cooking at Arpoador over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be comfortable in a spring suit or even a shorty. The start of the forecast is a bit of a letdown – we’ve got a few days of small, weak swell and poor conditions. The energy is barely there (around 36 to 75 on the combined scale), so don’t bother paddling out until later in the week.

Thursday the 20th through Friday morning the 21st are pretty flat. Friday morning does show a little uptick with 2 ft from the ESE at 8 seconds, and the wind is light NNW, blowing cross-offshore, so it’s clean. But it’s still small and weak (energy 75), so only worth it if you’re desperate for a log or a longboard.

The first real standout comes Monday, August 24th. The morning sees 6 ft S swell at 13 seconds, with light E wind cross-offshore – that’s clean. The energy jumps to 962 (moderate), and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” The afternoon gets even better: 8 ft S swell at 14 seconds, energy hits 2107 (strong), and the wind stays cross-off. This is solid, powerful groundswell, but at 8 ft it’s for experienced surfers only. The swell direction is S, which is close to the optimum SE direction for Arpoador, so the break should handle it well.

Tuesday morning, August 25th, is the absolute peak. 7 ft S swell, 15-second period, NE wind at 3 mph blowing offshore – that’s as clean as it gets. Energy is 2057 (strong). This is a standout session for experienced surfers. The long period (15 seconds) means the sets will have plenty of punch and shape, and the offshore wind will keep the faces smooth. The wave comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.”

After that, the swell drops a bit, but Wednesday morning the 26th still has 5 ft S swell at 13 seconds with glassy conditions (W wind at 3 mph, glassy), energy 673. That’s a good, clean morning for a solid session.

The rest of the second week sees the swell fade and the wind get messy. There’s a possible window on Thursday morning, August 27th, with 3 ft S swell at 12 seconds and offshore NNE wind, but it’s small. The weekend after that is very small and weak, with energy dropping below 100. So if you can, focus on Monday and Tuesday of the coming week.

Overall, the real gold is Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning – that’s the best you’ll get. Get out there if you can handle the size.

Rusty

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