Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at this stretch of coast. The forecast is a mixed bag, but there are some real windows of opportunity if you’re patient. The first few days are a bit rough, but the second half of the week and into the next has some absolute gems.

The first decent surf to speak of is on Friday the 10th of July, but it’s not a pretty one. Cintsa West is seeing a 8ft south swell, period 14 seconds – that’s a decent groundswell, but it’s got a lot of cross-off wind from the WSW, and the water is a chilly 64°F. That’s a full 4°F colder than usual for this time of year, which is a proper shock to the system. The combined swell energy is a meaty 2338, so there’s plenty of power, but the conditions are just marginal. It’s more of a battle than a pleasure.

Saturday the 11th stays similar, with a 7ft south swell, but the wind swings around to the east, cross-on, and it’s light rain. The energy is still strong at 1447, but it’s messy. By Sunday the 12th, the swell drops to 4ft, and the wind is still messy, plus there’s a risk of thunderstorms. Honestly, not a weekend to get excited about.

Then we hit the first real stand out. The morning of Monday the 13th of July. The wind goes completely glassy, dead calm, with a clean 6ft swell from the ESE. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s a bit of a wind swell, but that glassy surface makes it silky. The combined energy is 834 – moderate, but very user-friendly. This is a morning for the log or a funboard. The water is still cold, but you won’t care when it’s that clean.

Tuesday the 14th is more of the same – glassy morning, 6ft swell from the east at 9 seconds, energy at 500. Another clean, fun session. The wind stays light through the rest of the week, with the swell dropping a touch, but it stays clean right through to Wednesday afternoon. This is the best run of the first week: glassy or near-glassy, small, clean waves.

Now, the real big one comes in on the 18th of July. Saturday sees a 10ft SSW swell with a 13-second period, but the wind is howling from the SW at 19 mph, making it a choppy, lumpy mess. Don’t bother. But hold on… Sunday the 19th of July morning. The wind is glassy again, from the ESE at just 3 mph, and that same 10ft south swell has a longer 14-second period. The combined energy is a massive 3201. This is for experienced surfers only – over 8ft is expert territory. Cintsa West is a point break, so it will handle that long-period groundswell much better than a beach break, giving proper, long, walling waves. This is the standout of the whole 16 days, but it’s for the crew who know what they’re doing.

After that, the swell drops back to 6ft on Monday, but the wind is cross-shore, so it’s just okay. The energy drops off. Further out, on the 22nd of July, a very long period swell arrives – 18 seconds from the south – with a massive energy of 3728. But the swell is 8ft, and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the NE. It’s a proper, powerful groundswell that will be big and lully. Another one for the experts, but worth keeping an eye on if you’re checking the charts.

In summary, the best call is the glassy mornings from the 13th to the 15th for easy, clean waves. The absolute top quality, for the experienced, is the glassy morning of Sunday the 19th of July.

Rusty.

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