Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the Arrieta forecast for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and we’ll have to be patient.

The outlook starts off grim. For the first week and a half, from Thursday the 30th of July right through to Monday the 10th of August, the surf is basically a write-off. The wind is just too strong and from the wrong directions, mostly cross or cross-off at 12 to 22 mph, and the wave quality is described as “poor” basically every session. The swell is a short-period, wind-driven affair, mostly around 4 ft to 6 ft from the NNE, with a period of just 6 to 7 seconds, so the waves will be choppy and weak. The combined energy stays in the low to moderate range (179 to 363). You’d be fighting a losing battle.

Honestly, the only highlight in that whole stretch is a tiny window on Saturday morning, the 1st of August. The wind drops to a light 6 mph, and it goes a little cross-offshore, making things clean. The swell is small, 4 ft from the NNE, with a period of 7 seconds, giving a combined energy of 215 – moderate. It’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we get for the first ten days, so if you’re desperate, you could squeak a session in there, but don’t expect much.

Then, things get a little more interesting. From Tuesday the 11th of August through to Wednesday the 12th, we see a pulse of slightly bigger, more energetic swell. The swell height jumps to 7 ft to 7 ft coming from the NNE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps into a strong bracket (498 to 558). The wind is a moderate 12 to 16 mph from the north, cross-offshore, so the faces will be clean. The catch is that the forecast notes say “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” At 7 ft to 7 ft, this is getting into the “too big for beginners” territory, but it’s still manageable for most intermediates. It’s the only real standout in the whole 16 days, but it’s a week and a half away, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions from Thursday the 13th of August onward, with the wind picking back up to 22 to 25 mph, making a mess of things.

The water temp at the start of the period is 74°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

To sum it up: the first 10 days are a bust. The one shot at a clean wave with some energy is on the 11th and 12th of August. Keep your eyes on that, but don’t hold your breath for the rest of it.

Rusty.

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