Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s talk about Cintsa West. This little point break has a bit of tease about it. It’s an inconsistent spot, but when it lines up, it’s special. We’ve got a bit of a wait for the real magic, but there’s a session in there that’s got my heart beating faster.

The water is sitting at 65°F right now, and it’s about 3°F colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit. That’s a bit unusual, feels like winter's hanging on.

Friday morning the 21st is where we start. The swell is a clean 5ft from the SSW, with a period of 12 seconds, and the wind is glassy from the south. This is proper. The combined wave energy is moderate (612), but the conditions are glassy. This is your pick for the week. Get out there early. By Friday afternoon a cross-on ESE breeze picks up to 6 mph and the surf quality drops, so the morning window is the one to chase.

Saturday the 22nd is a write-off. The wind kicks up strong from the SW, hitting 25 mph in the afternoon, and the swell goes messy with short 7-second period. Not for paddling, skip it.

Sunday the 23rd sees the swell steady at 5ft from the SSW with a 10-second period, but the wind stays cross or cross-on. It’s marginal, not terrible but not great. There’s better ahead.

Monday the 24th is small and choppy. The swell drops to 4ft and the wind is onshore, so don't bother.

Now, Tuesday the 25th is interesting. The swell is 5ft from the SSW with a long, beautiful 15-second period. That’s groundswell energy, and the combined energy jumps to (1097). The wind is light cross-on from the south, which puts some texture on the face but isn’t ruinous. It’s a watch-and-see, but the potential is there.

Wednesday the 26th kicks. The swell builds to 7ft from the south with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is (2305) – that’s strong. The wind is cross-on from the ENE at 6 mph in the morning, but by the afternoon, it picks up to 16 mph and goes cross-shore with a chop. That big, clean energy is getting mushed up. This is more of a kitesurfer’s playground with that wind on a beach setup.

Thursday the 27th the swell drops to 5ft, but the wind stays strong from the NE at 16 mph. Not great.

Hold on for Friday the 28th. The morning is glassy again, with a 5ft S swell and a 12-second period. The combined energy is (1051), and with the wind dead calm and glassy, this is excellent for experienced surfers. That is your absolute standout for the whole 16 days. Don’t sleep on this.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are messy again, with cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. Sunday the 30th afternoon does have a clean cross-off wind from the WSW at only 3 mph, but the swell is a smaller 5ft from the SSW. It’s clean, but not as punchy as the Friday.

Then we head into the first week of September, and it gets a bit wild. Monday the 1st of September has a 8ft ENE swell with a short 8-second period and strong cross winds. Not great.

The real monster shows up on Thursday the 3rd of September. Swell hits 13ft from the SW with a 13-second period. The combined energy is (7178) – that’s very strong. But the wind is cross-shore from the SW at 12 mph, making it lumpy. This is big, raw power for experts only, and even then, it’s not clean.

Friday the 4th of September is even bigger. A 15ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and an onshore wind. The combined energy is massive (8844). This is a major swell event, but the conditions are marginal for clean surfing. Definitely for very advanced crew only.

By Saturday the 5th of September, the swell drops back to 7ft from the south, and the wind goes glassy from the SSE. The combined energy is (1093). This is another glassy morning session, and it rounds off the forecast nicely. Good conditions for experienced surfers.

So, if you’re asking me where to go, it’s Friday the 28th of August morning, and if you can wait, Saturday the 5th of September morning is another cracker. The rest is either skunky or too big and messy. That’s the read on Cintsa West.

Rusty.

Read more