Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ straight at the forecast for the Cintsa West area. What we’ve got here is a slow start, but then a serious pulse of energy comes through. Let’s break it down.

The first real chance to get wet comes in Tuesday morning, August 4th. Cintsa West is a point break, and it’s inconsistent, so you gotta be patient. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is a full 5° colder than usual for this time of year – that’s biting cold, so bring the thick rubber. The swell is 5ft from the ESE, with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 543. The wind is a light north-easterly at 6 mph, making it a cross-off breeze, and the conditions are clean. Looks like a decent window for a few lined-up waves, but don’t expect a crowd-free session – it gets busy here sometimes.

Wednesday morning, August 5th, is where it gets proper. The wind drops to glassy out of the WSW at 3 mph – that’s about as good as it gets. The swell drops a touch to 4ft from the east, still 10 seconds, but the energy is moderate at 346. It’s a classic point break setup, clean and glassy. This is the standout of the early week. The morning is the time to be out.

Thursday and Friday, August 6th and 7th, the swell turns smaller, dropping to 3ft, and the wind gets messy. Thursday has a cross-shore from the southwest, and the period jumps to 15 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell. That kind of energy can make the waves a bit too straight at the point, and with the cross-onshore later, it’s not worth the paddle. Friday stays small and marginal.

Then we hit a dry spell. Saturday, August 8th, the morning is a bit bumpy, but the afternoon glass-off returns with a 4ft, 14-second groundswell from the SSW. Clean, glassy, and the energy is 683 – that’s a nice moderate pulse. Worth a go, but it’s not the biggest.

Sunday, August 9th, the wind starts howling from the southwest at 15-18 mph. The swell drops, and it’s a write-off. The whole setup is a mess.

Now, hold on tight. Monday, August 10th, the ocean wakes up. The swell jumps to 15ft from the south with a 12-second period. The energy is massive – 6236 in the morning and 12,398 in the afternoon. That’s a serious amount of water moving. But the wind is a strong cross-shore from the southwest at 12 mph, and the conditions are just messy. This is big, powerful, but not clean. This is expert territory only, and even then, it’s a battle. The combined energy is extraordinary, but you’re fighting the wind.

Tuesday, August 11th, is the real standout of the whole forecast. The swell is still pumping at 12ft from the SSE with a 12-second period, and the energy is 3745. But the wind… the wind is out of the WSW at just 3 mph, making it a clean cross-off breeze. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is a big, powerful point break session with clean lines. Only the brave and the skilled should paddle out, but if you are, this is the day. The water is still cold, but the waves will be proper.

The rest of the second week, from Wednesday, August 12th, through Sunday, August 16th, the swell stays big – 8ft to 13ft – but the wind is a relentless cross-shore from the northeast, blowing 9 to 18 mph. It’s a lumpy, choppy mess. The energy is still high, but the quality is gone. Not worth a paddle unless you’re a kite surfer. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this stretch.

Monday, August 17th, we get a small reprieve. The swell drops to 6ft from the southwest, with a 12-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off from the north-northwest at 6 mph. The energy is 1378, solid. Conditions are clean. It’s a good, smaller option for the experienced.

Tuesday, August 18th, and Wednesday, August 19th, it’s back to poor conditions with strong winds and messy seas. The run ends with nothing.

So, to sum it up: the first week has a couple of gems, especially Wednesday morning, August 5th, and the big, clean, expert-only session on Tuesday, August 11th. The second week is mostly a battle with the wind. The best on offer is that Tuesday, August 11th, for the big-wave crew. Get out there if you’ve got the nerve.

Rusty.

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