Forte dei Marmi (Pontille) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. This 16-day stretch for the Versilia coast is a real heartbreaker. We're looking at a long, drawn-out period of tiny, messy surf with a whole lot of waiting. There’s a huge gap of days with absolutely nothing on the cards before we finally get one moment of real, powerful energy. But that one moment is a double-edged sword.

Right off the bat, from Sunday the 16th through to the morning of Monday the 24th, we are in a pretty bleak pattern. The waves are small, mostly under 4ft, and the periods are short—between 4 and 6 seconds. This is just wind chop and leftovers, not real waves. The winds are mostly onshore from the southwest, which is exactly the wrong direction for this spot, leaving the surface chopped and messy. There are a few glassy mornings, like the 18th, 22nd, and 23rd, but the swell is so weak (combined energy in the 10s and 20s) that it’s barely even worth getting the wetsuit on. This is a tough stretch for a surfer’s soul. On Tuesday the 19th, there’s a tiny bit of west-southwest energy with an 8-second period, but it’s only 0.6ft—maybe a knee-high ripple for a longboard on a clean day, but nothing that gets the heart pumping.

Then, after over a week of this, the forecast throws us a curveball. On Tuesday morning, the 25th of August, things get serious. The models are showing a significant south-west swell arriving, with the wave height jumping to a solid 10ft. The period also jumps up to 8 seconds, and the combined energy rockets to 1402, which is some serious juice for this part of the world. This is the standout day in the whole window. The winds are predicted to be light, cross-offshore from the north, which would clean it right up. This is a big, powerful swell.

However, here’s the catch, and it’s a big one. The guidance is clear: this swell is simply too big for Forte dei Marmi (Pontille). This is a beach/jetty set-up, and a 10ft swell at a beach break will just close out into a washing machine. It’s a recipe for a beating, not for good waves. This one is for the experts only, and even then, it might be too much. The energy is off the charts, but the quality at this spot will be terrible. It’s a real shame to see a good swell go to waste. And also, given the size and the onshore wind expected later, this setup looks far more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers.

The rest of the window after that burst is pretty disappointing. The swell backs off quickly, but the wind comes up onshore from the west-southwest on the 26th, killing any leftover potential. The energy drops back down, and by the 28th onward, there’s basically nothing left. A flat spell has set in again.

So, what’s the call? The only real story here is that big pulse on Tuesday the 25th. But for Forte dei Marmi (Pontille), it’s not a surfable option. If I had to point you anywhere, that Tuesday morning is the only time the ocean is showing any real muscle, but be prepared for it to be a wild, unruly beast. Beginners, stay well clear. For everyone else, maybe just watch from the shore and appreciate the raw power. The water is a balmy 83.7°F, which is 6.7°F warmer than usual for this time of year—that’s a remarkable anomaly, so at least the wait for your next wave will be comfortable.

The long-range stuff is just a promise of more small, junky surf. We just have to get through it. Patience, folks.

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