Circoletto (Rome) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve got the rundown for the Rome stretch.

Straight up, the next week and a half is a write-off. We’re looking at a serious flat spell. The ocean’s going to be doing absolutely nothing from Monday the 10th through to Tuesday the 18th of August. There are a few tiny ripples showing – we’re talking ankle-biters in the 0.6ft to 2ft range with weak energy readings (between 1 and 18) – but none of it is ridable. You’d be wasting your time and your paddle.

The mornings are going to be glassy and clean with light offshore breezes, but there’s just no swell behind it. The afternoons get chopped up by onshore westerlies, but even that doesn’t matter because there’s nothing to surf. This is a classic summer lull, and the inconsistent nature of the main spot, Circoletto (Rome), isn’t helping matters. You’re best off finding something else to do for a while.

Now, things start to get interesting mid-week. On the morning of Wednesday the 19th, we finally see a pulse of swell. It’s not big, only 4ft, coming from the west with a period of 7 seconds. The energy reading jumps to a moderate 130. It’s the first surfable wave we’ve seen, but I wouldn’t get too excited. It’s still on the small side and the wind will be offshore (NNE at 10 mph), so it might be worth a look for the desperate. I’m not calling it a standout.

But Thursday the 20th? That’s the day. The morning of the 20th is the standout here, and it’s not even close. The swell jumps to a solid 5ft from the west-northwest, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy hits 425, which is strong and proper. That’s over the 5ft mark, so it’s getting a bit much for the beginners, but for the more advanced crew, this is where it’s at. We’ve got a slight air and a light cross-offshore wind from the NNW at 3 mph, which should keep the conditions clean. This is the one to circle on the calendar, though keep in mind it’s a week and a half away, so we’ll need the forecast to hold.

After that, the energy fades away again. The wind swings onshore in the afternoon, and we drop back to poor conditions. The rest of the month looks pretty quiet, with small, weak swells. There might be some clean mornings with 2ft groundswell, but nothing that’s going to get the heart rate up. For kite surfers, this stretch is probably more interesting than for us paddlers, especially when the winds are up.

So, to sum it up: hold out for the morning of Thursday, August 20th. It’s the one time in this whole 16-day window where there’s real energy at Circoletto. Everything else is a waiting game.

Stay salty.

Rusty

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