Il Sale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let's have a look at what's cookin' for Il Sale. I'm gonna be straight with you, this reef setup is gonna be a bit of a tease over the next couple of weeks.

We’re looking at a long, lean spell for the most part. The water is running about 81°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year - a solid 5° above what we'd usually expect. That’s a real standout right there.

The forecast kicks off around Friday, August 28th, but honestly, it’s pretty average. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft south swell with a short 5 second period, cross-shore wind, and the combined energy is a weak 20. That’s not worth paddling out for, and the file says it's poor.

We get a little bump in size on the 29th and 30th with a 5 ft to 5 ft WSW swell coming in, but the wind is on it, which ruins the shape for a reef. The energy picks up to moderate levels - around 228 and 202 - but it’s still messy.

Now, Sunday the 30th morning is a bit of a tease. The swell is still 5 ft from the WSW, period is 7 seconds (so a short-period windswell), but we get a clean offshore wind from the ENE. The energy is moderate (202), and it's described as surfable but very ordinary. It’s the closest thing to a wave we’ll see for a while, but I wouldn't call it a standout.

After that, from Monday the 31st right through to Thursday, September 10th, it’s flat to tiny, with combined swell energy dropping below 100. We’re talking waist-high dribble at best, with periods of glassy conditions but no real push. There’s a massive gap of nearly two weeks with nothing worth getting out of bed for.

Then the one that gets my attention is Friday, September 11th. There’s a big pulse showing for the morning. A solid 10 ft swell from the WSW, with an 8 second period. The combined energy is a massive 1263 - that's strong wave energy. The wind looks light and cross-offshore from the SE, so the conditions should be clean. The file even says to expect very good surf conditions. However, this is a long-range call, so take it with a grain of salt, but it’s definitely the one to keep an eye on. That afternoon, the wind swings onshore and it gets messy, and the swell jumps to 13 ft, which is expert-only territory at a reef like this.

Saturday the 12th morning still has some decent leftover energy at 5 ft from the WSW, with a clean cross-offshore wind and moderate energy (287). It’ll be a good, but less powerful option.

So the standout is that Friday the 11th morning session. That’s the one. The rest of the two weeks is mostly a blank run, which isn't unusual for this spot when the swell windows are narrow and the wind is tricky.

Stay tuned friend, forecasts can change.

- Rusty

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