Irmas/Leftpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you straight up – it’s a bit of a bummer out there for the foreseeable future. We’re looking at one main spot, Irmas/Leftpoint, and the news isn’t great. The forecast shows a long dry spell with no decent surf to get excited about for most of this outlook.

Right now and for a good stretch, the only break on the cards is Irmas/Leftpoint. Heading into Friday, July 10th, the water temp is sitting at around 79°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year.

We kick off on Friday, July 10th with a 7ft swell from the ENE, but with a short period of 7 seconds and a stiff 25 mph cross-shore wind. The combined energy is moderate at 403, but the conditions are just plain messy – that strong cross-shore is creating a horrible cross-chop. It stays like this for days.

Saturday, July 11th through Sunday, July 12th sees the swell bobble between 6ft and 8ft, still from the ENE and still with those short periods. The wind remains a brutal 25 to 28 mph cross-shore. The wave energy gets up to a strong 764 on Saturday morning, but it’s totally wasted. This is proper kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. The chop is just too nasty to even think about a wave.

Monday, July 13th into Tuesday, July 14th, the wind eases a touch to a “fresh breeze” of 22 mph, then down to 16-19 mph. The swell drops from 7ft down to 5ft. The energy falls from 805 moderate-strong down to 250. But the cross-shore wind never really lets up, keeping the surface lumpy and uninviting. We’re still scoring zeroes across the board.

Wednesday, July 15th the swell drops further to 3-4ft, and the energy is weak at 136. It’s still poor. Thursday, July 16th holds a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW with a long 17-second period, but the wind stays a fresh cross-shore, and the report says poor. It’s not a goer.

From there, it gets repetitive. From Friday, July 17th all the way through to Thursday, July 23rd, we see a constant stream of ENE swells between 5ft and 7ft, always with a short period of 7 seconds and a persistent cross-shore breeze. The energy stays in the moderate to strong range (345 to 748) but with the wind cross and the period so short, the conditions never turn the corner. The surf quality is consistently listed as poor.

By Friday, July 24th, the swell has faded to tiny 2ft pulses from the SSW with 17-second periods, and the energy is still moderate at 537, but the wind is cross, and it’s poor.

There’s a tiny flicker on Saturday, July 25th morning. A 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 15-second period rolls in, and the wind is a moderate 16 mph cross-shore. The report calls it “marginal” with a score of 1. This is the only session that even teeters on the edge of being rideable. But with the wind not offshore, and such a small wave, it’s still a long shot. By the afternoon, the wind picks back up to 22 mph and it’s no good again.

So, looking at the whole 16-day run, there are no standouts. The wind and the swell directions are a complete mismatch for Irmas/Leftpoint. It’s one of those forecasts where you’d be better off cleaning your board and waiting for a change. It won’t stay this bad forever, but right now, there’s nothing to recommend.

Rusty.

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