Ilot Sancho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break it down.

We’re kicking off at Ilot Sancho with some proper quality. The water is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might get away with a springy. The combined swell energy is pumping at 1104 (moderate wave energy), so there’s plenty of push behind it. Saturday afternoon (25 July) sees a clean 5ft swell out of the SSW with a 14-second period and glassy conditions – that’s proper groundswell and the offshore wind from the SW will keep it looking like a postcard. This one's for the intermediate crew; it’s not a beginner wave.

Sunday morning (26 July) backs off a touch to 4ft but it’s still glassy with a long 13-second period, and the wind is light offshore from the west. Clean and inviting. Sunday afternoon shifts around with a cross-on breeze, so the quality takes a hit – still surfable but not as pretty.

Now, Monday morning (27 July) is a standout. We’ve got a solid 10ft swell from the SW, with a 16-second period and the wind is glassy from the SE. The energy reading is massive at 4422 (strong wave energy). This is a powerful, long-period groundswell. At this size and period, it’s going to be a proper handful at a point or reef, but Ilot Sancho is a reef, so it should handle it well. That said, 10ft is expert territory, so leave the foamies at home. The afternoon sees similar size but a light cross-shore breeze, still good but not glass.

Tuesday (28 July) drops to 7ft to 8ft, with strong offshore cross-off winds. Clean conditions persist, and the energy stays high. Wednesday and Thursday (29-30 July) are still in the 4ft-8ft range, with clean cross-off winds from the east, though the combined energy drops a little. Still fun, still rideable.

Friday (31 July) morning is average, but Friday afternoon brings back some quality with 6ft at 15 seconds, clean conditions, and a bit of rain passing through – nothing that’ll stop a session. Saturday (1 August) is a gem: 5ft in the morning with light offshore wind, then 5ft in the afternoon with absolutely glassy conditions and the wind dropping to zero. That’s as clean as it gets. Crowds are listed as “sometimes” at Ilot Sancho, so you might have company, but it’ll be worth it.

From Sunday (2 August) through Monday (3 August) we hover around the 4ft-6ft range, with clean or light cross-shore winds. Still surfable, but nothing that’ll blow your mind. The energy is moderate.

Then we hit a bit of a rough patch. From Tuesday (4 August) onwards, the wind starts to crank up, with 15-19 mph easterlies creating a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is still there – 7ft to 8ft – but the period drops to 9-10 seconds, so it’s shorter, weaker, and bumpy. The energy levels are still in the 1000-1400 range (moderate) but the wind is ruining the party. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

Tuesday (4 August) through to Sunday (9 August) is a long stretch of marginal conditions. The swell stays in the 5ft-8ft range but with fresh cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions, it’s hard to get excited. The best of that run is probably Friday afternoon (7 August) where the wind shifts cross-off and cleans up the 7ft swell, but the period is only 9 seconds and the energy is low. Saturday (8 August) and Sunday (9 August) mornings have 8ft at 9 seconds with strong cross-off winds – big but messy.

Overall, the standout window is Saturday 25 July through Tuesday 28 July, with Monday morning (27 July) being the pick of the bunch for experienced surfers. After that, it’s a slow fade into wind-affected chop. If you can get out early or late in the first week, you’ll find clean waves. The second week looks like a write-off for clean surfing.

Rusty.

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