Circoletto (Rome) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on offer for Circoletto (Rome) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it’s a pretty grim picture. We’re looking at a long stretch of days with nothing really worth paddling out for, starting from now. Most of the first week is flat or close to it, with just tiny scraps of swell and mostly onshore or cross-off winds messing things up. The water temperature is sitting at 84°F – that’s much warmer than usual for this time of year, which is a bit of a talking point if you’re just having a swim, but it doesn’t help the surf.

Sunday the 23rd has a tiny 1ft swell from the WSW, period a weak 5 seconds, and though the morning wind is light offshore from the NE, the energy is just not there – combined energy is only 11. That’s a skunk session if I ever saw one. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are dead flat in the mornings, zero energy. Tuesday afternoon sees a bump to 2ft from the SSE but with a strong onshore southerly at 16 mph and a short 4-second period, it’s just blown-out chop – combined energy a weak 16. Not worth it.

Wednesday the 26th offers a little 2ft from the south in the morning with a clean offshore NE breeze, but the period is only 6 seconds, so it’s weak and fat. Combined energy is just 24. Still a pass for me. Thursday is tiny with cross-shore winds, Friday pushes up to 3ft from the south but the wind is cross-onshore at 12 mph and the period is only 5 seconds – combined energy 84, but the quality is poor. Still no go.

Then we hit Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows 5ft from the west with a 7-second period, and a light onshore wind from the SW. Combined energy jumps to 258 – that’s moderate wave energy – but the comment says marginal surf due to questionable tide conditions. For an advanced break like Circoletto, that could mean it’s fat or draining too much. Still not the day. Afternoon is choppy with strong onshore wind.

Sunday the 30th has 4ft from the west, period 6 seconds, onshore wind, combined energy 151. Again, ordinary.

There’s a little gap of flat days from the 31st of August right through to the 3rd of September – just tiny dribbles of 0.7ft and 1.0ft with nothing behind them. The 4th of September sees a return of 4ft from the west with a 6-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore and 12-16 mph, combined energy around 137 in the morning, dropping off. Still poor.

Now, if you’re looking for the only real standout in this whole 16-day window, you have to go to Sunday the 6th of September. The morning brings 4ft from the west, period 6 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at just 6 mph. Combined energy hits 112, and for the first time, the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we’ve got. It’s not firing, but it’s clean, the wind is light, and you’ll get something to ride at Circoletto. The swell direction is west, which is slightly off the optimum SSW direction for this spot, but it’s still the pick of the bunch. The afternoon goes to 7ft from the west but with onshore wind, so it’ll be messy and too big for any beginner – only for the advanced crew, and even then it’ll be lumpy.

After that, Monday the 7th drops back to 2ft from the WSW, period 6 seconds, light cross-offshore wind, combined energy 47 – ordinary again.

So there you have it. Days and days of nothing much, with one half-decent morning on Sunday the 6th of September. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. Otherwise, it’s a dry spell.

Stay patient, Rusty.

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