Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Arrieta over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – this is a tough stretch. The forecast is showing a lot of days with surf, but the quality is just not there. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but the first real chance for anything decent isn't until the Thursday morning of the 3rd of September. Even then, it’s a struggle.

The pattern is dominated by a persistent northerly wind, which is cross-off at Arrieta, so the waves are generally clean. The problem is the swell. We’ve got a pulse of energy coming through from the 31st of August right through the 2nd of September, with combined wave energy climbing from 278 up to a strong 953 (moderate to strong). But the swell is short-period (7-8 seconds) and messy, coming from the N and NNE. The surf height gets up to 8ft on the 2nd of September, which is too big for beginners, but the wind is still pretty fresh. Those days are a write-off for quality surfing.

The first whisper of something surfable is on the morning of Thursday, the 3rd of September. We’re down to 5ft of swell from the N, with a gentle breeze and clean conditions. The energy is a moderate 370. It’s surfable, but just ordinary. The same goes for Friday the 4th, with a bit of offshore wind from the NW helping out. We’re looking at 4ft dropping to 4ft, with energy around 200. It’s not terrible, but it’s not a standout.

Then the weekend hits and it’s pretty flat. The afternoon of the 5th of September drops to 2ft. Sunday the 6th has a weird mix: 4ft in the morning with a 6-second period, then a 2ft swell in the afternoon with a 14-second period (long period groundswell) but the energy is only 211. The wind is cross-off, but the swell is just too small to be any good.

We’ve got a gap of very small, weak surf from the 7th through the 14th of September. There’s a tease on the 9th of September with a light offshore wind and 5ft on the morning, but the period is short and the score is low. It’s just ordinary.

The only real standout, and I mean the *only* one that gets my heart pumping a little, is the morning of Tuesday, the 15th of September. This is a long-range call, so don’t book the day off work just yet, but it’s promising. The swell is 4ft from the NNW with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined wave energy is a massive 1077, which is strong to very strong energy. The wind is a moderate breeze from the NNW, cross-off, so it’ll be clean. Because it’s such a long period swell, it’s going to be fat and powerful, and it’s best for a reef setup like Arrieta. The crowd situation is "sometimes", so you might have to share it. This is the one to watch, but remember, it’s a week and a half away so treat it with caution.

For the rest of the time, if you’re a beginner, the 5ft+ days are a bit too much, and the small days are too weak. The strong winds and messy conditions on the 1st and 2nd of September make it look more interesting for kite surfing than a good paddle session.

So, head high, keep an eye on that 15th, and hope the forecasts tighten up.

Rusty.

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