Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee or a beer, depending on the time of day. Let's talk Arrieta. This forecast is a bit of a tough row to hoe for us paddle surfers, to be honest. The overall pattern shows a lot of wind and messy conditions for the first week and a half, making it a real grind. There's a single shining window right at the start of September that's worth circling on the calendar, but outside of that, it's a long stretch of no-go.

We're looking at Saturday, August 29th, through to Monday, September 8th, as a fairly barren run. It's not ideal, but for this spot and the time of year, a blank run like this isn't totally out of the ordinary; the wind just tends to mess with things.

Now, the real standout for this whole 16 days is Thursday, September 3rd. Seriously, that afternoon session is the one to aim for. The swell from the NNE is going to be a clean 6ft with a moderate energy behind it (431). What makes it special is the wind: it goes completely glassy that afternoon. You just don't get many days like that at Arrieta, so you'll be surfing smooth, clean lines. Just be aware, this spot is a reef break and it's inconsistent, so you might have to wait for the sets. Also, with the word *sometimes* for crowds on a setup like this, it’s going to be busy because everyone will be chasing the same glassy window. The water temperature? About average for this time of year, a little on the warmer side, which is nice.

Before that, the run from the 29th through to the 2nd of September is just poor. We've got a decent sized swell building – up to 10ft on the morning of the 2nd (1074 energy) – but the cross-shore wind is howling at 25 mph, creating lumpy, messy conditions. Not worth it for paddle surfing; frankly, that setup with the size and the onshore wind looks more interesting for kite surfing.

After the 3rd, the run continues. Friday the 4th actually has some offshore wind from the NW, but the swell drops right off to 4ft and the energy is weak (211). It's surfable but very ordinary. It's all just small, short-period windswell after that, with mostly cross-shore wind again. The last few days of the forecast, from the 12th and into the 13th of September, we see a long-period groundswell (15 and 15 second periods) from the WNW and NW, but the heights are tiny – between 1ft and 3ft. For a reef break like Arrieta, that long-period swell is usually great for shape, but there just isn't enough size to hold it together.

So, to boil it down: circle Wednesday the 3rd of September for that glassy afternoon. That's the one.

Rusty.

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