Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim picture for the most part. We’ve got a lot of swell on the way, but the wind is just wrecking it for us, and the surf quality is poor across the board. There’s a long gap of nothing worthwhile until the very end of the run.

The only spot on the menu is Arrieta, a sheltered reef break that’s known for being inconsistent. The water’s sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The first proper surf kicks off Sunday afternoon, 19 July, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The wind is pumping hard from the NNE at 22 mph, making a messy cross-shore chop. The swell is a solid 7 ft, coming from the NNE with a short period of 8 seconds, and the combined wave energy is moderate (468). It’s telling you it’s poor, and I’m telling you it’s a write-off.

We go through the whole week to the end of July with no real improvement. Monday the 20th sees a bigger swell building to 8 ft, but the wind picks up to 25 mph, creating even messier conditions. The energy ramps up to 711, but it’s not doing us any favours.

The wind does ease a little from Tuesday 21st onwards, swinging more to the north and giving us some cross-off breezes, which cleans the surface up a bit. But the swell stays short-period and lumpy. By Wednesday 22nd, with the swell at 6 ft and a clean face, it’s still not breaking well. It’s just not shaping up.

The swell gets serious on Saturday 25th July, hitting 8 ft from the NNE, and the combined energy jumps to 980. The afternoon session sees a clean face with cross-off winds, but even then, the forecast is marginal. This is big, powerful, but short-period swell, and for a reef, it needs the right direction to work. The optimum swell direction for Arrieta is from the north, and we’re getting it from the NNE, so it’s a bit off.

Then Sunday 26th July brings a 10 ft monster with the energy at 1360, but the wind is back up to 25 mph from the NNE, creating a messy, choppy mess. Not surfable. The following week, from the 28th to the 30th, we’re getting 10 ft to 12 ft swell with the combined energy hitting over 2000, which is strong to very strong. But the wind is relentless, blowing cross-shore at 25-28 mph, making it ugly and dangerous. This is expert-only territory, and even then, the conditions are poor.

The real, hopeful window opens up at the very end. On Saturday 1st August, the swell drops to 5 ft in the morning, still a bit lumpy, but the afternoon sees a clean 5 ft swell from the north with a cross-off breeze. The combined energy is 438, which is still moderate. Then Sunday 2nd August and Monday 3rd August are the best on offer. The wind eases right off to 15-19 mph from the north, giving us clean, cross-off conditions. The swell is 5 ft to 6 ft with a period of 7-8 seconds, and the energy drops to 322. It’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest window we’ve got. The direction is from the north, which is spot on for Arrieta’s optimum. It’s still a bit short-period, but for a reef break, it might just offer some fun, walled-up waves. Be aware it’s an inconsistent spot, so you’ll be waiting for sets.

All in all, don’t bother with the next two weeks. Mark your calendar for the start of August. That’s your best shot.

Rusty.

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