Arrifana Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie and listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our little slice of coast, Arrifana. We’ve got a full 16-day window ahead, and honestly, the start looks pretty flat-out miserable. The first chunk of the forecast is a whole lot of nothing, with poor surf and weak energy. You’re looking at tiny waves—think waist-high at best—with energy readings often under 100. It’s clean, sure, but there’s just no push. This quiet spell stretches on for days, from the 5th right through to the 16th. It’s going to be a board-shortener and a lot of staring at the horizon.

Then, things start to get a little more interesting. Around the 17th, we see a slight bump in size, but it’s short-period and jumbly, not what we want. The real change comes on the 18th. That’s when the energy jumps way up to 326, and we get some proper swell on the way. Westerly winds are cross-off, and it’s pushing 5ft. It’s still a bit raw and disorganized, but there’s finally some life. The 19th and 20th keep that energy up, with the 20th seeing lighter winds, which is a major plus.

But here’s the thing—the wind is almost always cross-off, which is good for the wave face, but the quality flags are consistently low. The whole window is rated as poor surf conditions until that little blip on the 19th and 20th where it’s just marginal. This isn’t the time for heroics, but if you’re desperate, the call is for the 18th through the 20th of August. The biggest swell hits on Wednesday the 19th, with a head-high plus 6ft at 7 seconds, but that short period means it’ll be closing out on the beach sections. The Thursday the 20th morning looks slightly better with lighter winds, cleaner faces, and a solid 5ft.

As for the break itself, Arrifana is an advanced spot, a beach and reef setup. The water is much colder than normal for this time of year, about 66°, so that’s a shock to the system if you’re used to warmer baths. It’s fairly exposed and consistent when there’s swell, but with these small, weak waves, it’ll be a struggle. The swell direction is mostly NW, which, given the optimum is NW, is what we want to see.

So, the long and short of it is: don’t get your hopes up for the first two weeks. It’s a long, flat stretch. But as we head into the final few days of the period, there’s a glimmer of hope. A late-period spike on the 18th-20th is our only real shot at anything rideable. It’s not going to be world-class, but it’s better than nothing. Keep an eye on that NNE wind on the 20th that drops to a light breeze—that could be our cleanest window.

Stay stoked, or at least stay patient.

Rusty.

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