Ibiza - Cala Nova Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The long-range picture for our stretch of coast is a pretty bleak one, if I’m being honest. We’re looking at a solid stretch of tiny, short-period slop and flat spells for the better part of the next two weeks. It’s one of those periods where you’re better off getting the gear serviced or finding other things to do than checking the cams every morning.

To start with, we have a total blank from Monday, the 3rd, all the way through to the early hours of Friday, the 15th. That's a solid stretch of nothing. There will be ankle-biters, a few ripple lines, but nothing with any push that’s worth paddling out for. We get a tiny blip of swell around the 8th and 9th, but it's short-period stuff barely reaching 2ft and blown out by onshore afternoon breezes. No dice.

The first real sign of life, if you can call it that, shows up early on Saturday, the 15th. Overnight a little pulse of easterly energy fills in, and Cala-Nova (Ibiza) is looking at a glassy 4ft – but it’s still a short-period wave at 5 seconds, so it’ll be soft and maybe a bit lumpy. The water is cooking at a very unusual 83°F, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year. The morning will be clean, but a cross-shore breeze kicks up in the afternoon and it gets messy pretty quickly.

Then, we hit the standout window. Tuesday morning, August 18th is the one to circle on the calendar. The swell finally fills in properly. The charts show a jump to 5ft from the east with a period stretching out to 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is piling up to a moderate 218. This is the most promising surf of the entire outlook. The wind is light, cross-offshore, and it’s going to be clean. The swell direction matches what this spot wants – southeast is its optimum. It’s still not huge, but after all that flatness, a clean 5ft at a spot like Cala-Nova is going to feel like a luxury. It’s a beach and reef setup, so it can be a bit of a grovel, but the juicy lines should be there. Crowds are a real possibility at this spot, and after so long without any surf, you can bet the locals will be out in force for this one.

The afternoon of that same day, the wind picks up to a strong 16 mph cross-offshore, and the swell jumps to 6ft with a period of 8 seconds. That’s more size and power, but with that wind, it’s going to get difficult and bumpy. That's one for the experts only, and even then, it might be a battle.

Beyond that, the window closes again, fading back into the small stuff. So, to sum it up: don't hold your breath for the next ten days. Saturday the 15th is a warm-up, but the real highlight, the one day that has any real potential, is that Tuesday session on the 18th. Be there early, before the wind wrecks it.

Rusty.

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