Arrieta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checking in on the Arrieta surf outlook for the next 16 days. Let me tell you, it’s a bit of a rough stretch ahead for this spot. Arrieta is a sheltered reef break, inconsistent as they come, and the wave energy through most of this period is just not delivering the goods. We’re looking at a real waiting game here.

The first potential session isn’t until Saturday, the 22nd of August. That’s a good long gap from now with nothing worth paddling out for. For almost two weeks, the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but the swell energy is a mix of weak and moderate, never lining up right. The swell direction comes mainly from the NNE, but Arrieta needs that optimum N direction to really work. The periods are short, under 8 seconds, so it’s all windswell without much punch.

Now, Saturday the 22nd of August finally gives us something to talk about. The afternoon shows Arrieta catching a 5ft swell from the NNE. The combined swell energy is a moderate 237, and the wind is light from the north at 15 mph, giving us a clean, cross-off setup. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The conditions will be clean, but the quality isn't there for a standout.

Sunday the 23rd of August morning is similar, with 5ft of north swell, but the energy bumps up to 363. Still, it’s only rated as very ordinary. The wind stays light from the north, so it’ll be clean again, just not great.

When you look at the whole forecast, the only real standout is that Saturday/Sunday window at the end. The water is sitting at a touch warmer than normal at 74°F in the first record, but that’s about average for the time of year overall. The Sunday afternoon on the 23rd actually sees a long-period groundswell from the WNW at 17 seconds, creating a very strong energy reading of 384, but the swell height is only 2ft. That long period will make it fat and weak on a sheltered reef, so it’s not the wave you’re hoping for.

This is a long, lean spell for Arrieta. It’s a break that rarely turns on, and this forecast sadly reflects that. The best of a bad bunch is the afternoon of Saturday the 22nd and the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August – just don’t expect any fireworks.

Rusty.

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