Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day stretch is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. The Arrieta reef is the only spot on the map, and it's facing a whole lot of northerly wind and swell, which just isn't what this place wants. The optimum direction for this break is from the north, so you'd think that'd be okay, but the size, the short-period windswell, and the constant cross-shore breeze are just making a mess of it. For the first few days, we're looking at waist-to-shoulder high, short-period stuff (around 7 seconds) with a fresh cross-shore breeze. The water is sitting at 75°, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing while you're getting blown around. The wave energy is weak-to-moderate, around 293, which is nothing to get excited about.

The whole first week is a write-off, honestly. The size does push up a bit around Saturday the 12th, with sets getting to 7 ft, but the period is still short and the wind is still messy. That's a lot of water moving around with no shape to it. Even when the wind drops on Sunday the 13th and it cleans up, the waves are just ordinary. The next couple of days, the swell drops right out and gets incredibly long-period, over 12 seconds, which at a beach or reef can just mean lines that are too straight and fat. There's no consistency, no power, just a frustrating paddle.

Now, way out there in the long-range, things get a little more promising but also more uncertain. Around the 20th and 21st of September, we finally see the wind swing around to the west and northwest. On the morning of the 21st, there's a window with the wind going totally glassy. The swell will be small, barely 3 ft, but it'll be clean. Then on the 22nd, the wind goes offshore in the morning and glass again in the afternoon with a clean 3 ft. It's not big, but it will be the best conditions we see in this whole window. It might be worth a look for a longboard or a fish, just to get some clean little runners. It's a promise, not a guarantee, but it's the only thing on the horizon.

Beyond that, the swell just fades away to nothing. The last few days of the month are flat and weak. Given how inconsistent this spot is, a blank run like this isn't totally unusual. It tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change, but as it stands, this is one of those stretches where the board stays in the car.

Rusty

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