Il Sale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for this spot.

Truth be told, we’re looking at a long, dry spell before anything worth paddling out for shows up. For the next couple of weeks, it’s pretty flat or just tiny, weak, and messy. The water at Il Sale is sitting at a very unusual 82°F right now – that’s much warmer than normal for late August, so you’ll be sweating in your wettie if you bother to get in.

The entire run from now through to the end of August and into the first days of September is basically a write-off. The swell is either non-existent or just dribbling in at knee-to-waist high with short, weak periods. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, making things choppy. There’s a solid 10-day gap here with no real surf on offer. Even the combined energy readings are tiny, sitting in the single digits or low double digits.

Then, finally, around Saturday the 4th of September morning, a tiny pulse of life. We get a glassy morning with a 4ft swell from the WSW at a 7 second period (combined energy 160). It’s listed as “surfable but very ordinary” – a desperate minimal score if you’re really jonesing. The glassy conditions are a plus, but the swell is weak. By the afternoon the wind howls onshore again and it’s gone.

Forget that. The real standout, the one that’s got my heart beating a bit faster, is Sunday the 6th of September morning. That’s the pick of the entire forecast. We’ve got a clean 7ft groundswell from the W with a period of 7 seconds (combined energy 846). The wind is a gentle offshore from the ENE, promising clean, lined-up waves. This is a solid size – well over 5ft – so it will be pushing into expert territory and may be too much for beginners. It’s a reef break setup at Il Sale, and that longer period groundswell from the west (matching the optimum SW direction decently) will focus energy well on the reef. Expect proper, powerful waves with good shape and long lulls between sets, which actually makes paddling out manageable. Crowds are listed as “often”, so you won’t be alone, but for waves this good, it’ll be worth fighting for a spot.

After that pulse, Monday the 7th drops back down. A glassy 3ft (combined energy 90) in the morning is a nice, clean recovery session, but nothing compared to the Sunday standout.

So to wrap it up: suffer through the flat spell, keep your eyes on Sunday morning, September 6th for the main event. It’s the one that makes the wait worthwhile.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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