Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Time to stare into the crystal ball for the next couple of weeks at Arrieta. This is a tricky one, so let’s be straight with each other.

Right off the bat, I’ve got to be honest: the next 16 days look like a write-off for a proper surf. The first entry on the books is Monday afternoon, the 3rd of August, and it’s a no-go straight away. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the NNE, but the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, and the wind is a messy cross-shore out of the NNE at 16 mph. The energy is low (277), and it’s just poor surf conditions. That pattern sticks around for a solid run.

The whole first week and into the second is plagued by these same issues. The wind is relentless – either a lumpy cross-shore or a cleaner cross-offshore, but it’s always blowing fresh to strong. The swell is almost always from the NNE, which is about as far from the optimum N direction as you can get for this sheltered reef. The combined energy climbs into the moderate range (up to 720 on Thursday the 6th), but the short period means the waves are just too weak and junky to shape up. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s a small comfort when you’re battling a cross-chop.

There’s a bit of a shift on the 15th of August, a Saturday. The swell jumps up to 8 ft from the NNE, and the energy spikes into the strong range (1001 to 1008). But the wind is back to a fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy. At that size, with that wind, this is expert territory and frankly, it looks more like a kiter’s dream than a surfer’s session. It’s just poor surf conditions written all over it.

The final couple of days, the 17th and 18th, the swell drops back to 4 ft to 5 ft, and the wind finally goes clean and cross-off, but the energy is weak (around 250-287). The period stretches to 9 seconds, which is a touch better, but the swell direction is still wrong. It’s a sad finish to a blank run.

Honestly, there’s nothing to get excited about here. This is a sheltered spot, and when the wind and swell don’t align, it just doesn’t fire. It’s a long, blank stretch. We’d need a big shift in the forecast to see any change.

Rusty.

Read more