Cintsa East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our stretch of coast.

The best chance of a real session is first thing Tuesday morning, September 15. We’ve got a solid 6 ft swell pushing in from the east with a clean 11-second period, and the combined wave energy is sitting at a healthy moderate 858. The wind is a light 3 mph cross-offshore, which will keep the surface clean and lined up nicely. The water is 63°, which is 5° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good steamer. Cintsa East is exposed to this swell, and the optimum direction from the southeast lines up well here. It’s an inconsistent break so you’ll have to be patient, but when a set comes through it’ll be worth the wait. Crowds are only a sometimes thing, so you should have plenty of room. This is the standout of the whole outlook.

The rest of the week gets tricky. Tuesday afternoon the wind swings onshore and the quality drops. Wednesday morning and afternoon have a bit of swell, but a strong 16 mph breeze, even if cross-off, will make it a bit bumpy and the wave comment doesn’t inspire confidence. Thursday is similar with onshore cross-winds and messy surf.

Friday the 18th through Saturday the 19th, the swell pumps up big, hitting 10 ft from the east-southeast. The combined energy is very strong, climbing from 1336 to 1986, but the wind is directly onshore and the model says this break just can’t handle that much water. That’s expert-only territory at best, and honestly, for most of us, it’s a time to watch from the beach. With the beach-break setup and that strong onshore, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than a paddle surfer.

Sunday the 20th backs off a bit. Morning has a 8 ft east swell and a clean cross-off 12 mph southwest wind, but the wave comment is still marginal. Combined energy is 1125 – still moderate to strong, but the conditions don’t seem to lock in.

Monday the 21st is another windy day with a fresh 19 mph cross-off wind and an 8 ft swell from the south-southwest. It’s clean enough for the brave, but on the big side for most.

Then we hit a long quiet spell. From Tuesday the 22nd of September through to Saturday the 27th, the swell drops right out, mostly under 5 ft, and wind directions are all wrong – onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy numbers are weak, between 204 and 918, and the period is all over the place. Even the periods over 13 seconds on the 24th and 25th can’t save it with that onshore breeze.

There’s a flicker of hope on Sunday the 27th in the afternoon. Swell picks up to 5 ft from the south-southeast with a 9-second period, combined energy of 791, and a nice light 9 mph cross-off wind from the south-southwest. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” If the timing works, that could be a sneaky fun session, but it’s still 12 days out so treat it as promising but not locked in.

After that, Monday and Tuesday look poor again with onshore winds, and Wednesday the 30th fades out with onshore breezes and messy chop. Nothing else worth paddling out for.

Overall, the first Tuesday morning (September 15) is your clear winner. Don’t sleep on it, because the outlook after that has more gaps than a broken stringer.

Rusty.

Read more