Ilha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Ilha over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. For a solid stretch of days, there’s just nothing worth paddling out for. The first real chance you’ve got is on the morning of Monday the 14th, and even then, the run-up to it is pretty grim.

From Thursday the 10th through to Sunday the 13th, the swell is tiny, the wind is messy, and the wave comment is “poor surf conditions” across the board. It’s choppy, cross-onshore, and frustrating. Swell heights are nothing to get excited about – you’re looking at combined swell energies mostly under 300 – weak stuff. Don’t bother.

Then, a window opens. Monday morning, September 14th, brings a bit of hope. Ilha sees a 7ft swell from the ESE with a short period of 7 seconds. That’s a lot of energy for the size – 805 in the combined energy reading, which is moderate-to-strong. The wind is a light 9 mph from the NE, blowing cross-offshore, making for clean conditions. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions” with a score of 3 out of 10, which is the highest we see in the whole 16 days. Water temp is 71°F, which is “a touch warmer than normal” for this time of year, about 3°F above average. That’s your standout window. It’s a reef break, fairly consistent, exposed to that SE swell, and the optimum direction is SE – so the ESE direction is close. Expect crowds “sometimes” at Ilha, so you might have a few others in the water but nothing insane. That 7ft is solid for intermediates; beginners might find it a bit much.

Monday afternoon the wind swings and the quality drops.

After that, the surf fades back to small, weak, and mostly messy through Tuesday to Wednesday.

Your next proper look-in is Friday, September 18th. Both the morning and afternoon at Ilha are glassy – wind is dead calm at 3 mph from the NE and then S, with “glass” conditions. The swell is a clean 4ft from the ESE with periods of 6 to 7 seconds, combined energy around 217-229 – weak to moderate. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s not the power of the Monday session, but for a morning paddle with clean lines, it’s a nice little session. Crowds are possible at Ilha.

Saturday the 19th holds some glassy 3ft and 3ft ESE swell (period 8 seconds) – surfable but described as “very ordinary conditions” – you’d get a wave, but it’s nothing to write home about. Combined energy drops to 165 and 132.

The rest of the run into the third week – Sunday the 20th through to Thursday the 25th – is a slide into small, weak, and cross-onshore junk. Swells hang around 1ft to 4ft, periods jump around, but winds are often strong (15 to 22 mph) and cross-onshore, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. There’s a few bigger energy spikes late on (like 1203 on Thursday the 17th afternoon and 768 on Wednesday the 24th morning), but those are accompanied by poor wind and “poor surf conditions” comments – all cross-on mess. Not worth it for a paddle, maybe worth a look for the kite crew if you’re into that.

So, to sum it up: the entire 16-day block has two real highlights. The best surf on offer is Monday morning, September 14th at Ilha – 7ft from the ESE, clean NE cross-offshore wind, and moderate-to-strong energy. That’s your best bet, without a doubt. The second is Friday, September 18th – glassy conditions, 4ft clean waves. Everything else in between is a write-off or marginal at best.

Stay tuned, it might evolve, but as it stands, pick your windows wisely.

Rusty.

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