Irmas/Leftpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look what we’ve got for this stretch of coast. We’ve only got one spot to work with, Irmas/Leftpoint. It's a reef setup, intermediate level, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell. The water temp is normal for the time of year, nothing unusual there. Shame the news isn’t better.

Honestly, the outlook is a tough one. For the first week, from Saturday the 15th, right through until at least Friday the 28th, the surf is in a pretty poor state. The wind is almost always a problem—mainly cross, cross-on, and at times hitting near gale force. That is going to chop everything up. Saturday the 15th has a big 13ft to 15ft East swell but with 34 mph cross-wind, it’s just a complete mess, not worth a look.

Through the middle of the week, we see swell dropping, but the wind stays strong and messy. A 6ft swell on Monday morning the 17th is cross-on and lumpy, not the clean wave you want. It’s the same story: moderate to fresh breezes, cross-wind, poor quality surf. The combined energy is mostly moderate to strong, but it doesn't matter with those winds.

There’s a little window on Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd where the wind drops to a gentle breeze, but the swell is tiny—around 3ft to 4ft from the ENE with a short period of only 6-8 seconds, the combined energy is weak (between 107 and 249). Still side-shore wind, so it’s a bit bumpy. Not a standout by any stretch.

It’s not until the tail end, around Thursday the 27th into the 30th, that the swell size builds back up. Thursday the 27th morning shows 4ft from the East at 18 seconds, that’s a beautiful long-period groundswell. The combined energy is strong (1491) but the wind is still cross from the ENE at 22 mph, so it’s lumpy. The forecast says "marginal", but with that long period, this is a reef, so the waves might just have some shape despite the wind. Saturday the 29th will see 6ft East swell with similar lumpy conditions. Not clean.

The last call, Sunday morning the 30th of August, is the best bet. A 10ft swell from the ENE with a period of 14 seconds gives strong energy (3985). Wind is a moderate cross-shore breeze, so it’s still not glassy, but it's the only day that gets a score of 2/10. That swell is solid and well overhead, expert territory for the reef. It could offer some heavy sets if the wind plays ball. That’s the one to circle on the calendar.

But overall, it’s a lean run. A big gap of poor surf until the last few days, and then only one day that hints at something half decent. It’s not a typical blank run for this area, but when it’s bad, it’s bad.

- Rusty

Read more