Irmas/Leftpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the cards for Irmas/Leftpoint over the next couple of weeks. I have to be straight with you – it’s looking like a pretty bleak stretch for paddle surfing, with a whole lot of wind-ruined conditions before a brief, tidy window shows up late in the second week.

So, we start off right now and the outlook is grim. The first week and a half is dominated by a strong, persistent cross-shore wind from the ENE, often blowing 18 to 28 mph. Swell is hanging around 5 ft to 6 ft, sourced from the ENE or E, with a short, weak period of just 6 to 8 seconds. The combined energy sits between 304 and 655 (moderate energy), but that means nothing when the wind is tearing it up. This is a mess – poor surf conditions with messy cross-chop. Nothing worth paddling out for.

There’s a shift around the 26th of August where the swell direction swings to the south, with a long period around 17-18 seconds. The wave energy climbs up to 996, but the wind stays a strong cross-shore. The setup is still junk for the surfboard. You might look at this and think about the kite, though – with that much cross-wind and lumpy conditions, that’s more their game than ours.

This continues for days. From the 22nd of August right through to the morning of the 1st of September, we see nothing but scores of zero. That’s a solid 10-day dead run. After that, things start to get interesting.

On Monday the 31st of August, we finally see the rating tick up to a 1. The swell pushes to 7 ft to 7 ft from the ENE, with the period lengthening to 11 seconds. The energy vaults into the four-digits (1038 to 1212), which is strong energy. But the wind is still a cross-shore breeze. It’s still lumpy and is only described as “marginal.” That’s still not our day.

Now, the standout. The real highlight comes on Tuesday the 1st of September in the afternoon. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the NNE at 15 mph. The swell sits at 6 ft from the NE, period 10 seconds, with a combined energy of 1010. This is clean. This is the first genuinely surfable window.

But the true gem is Wednesday the 2nd of September. That is your best bet. Early morning, we have a light north wind of just 6 mph, cross-off again. The swell drops to 3 ft from the south, but check that period: 17 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell. The energy is still strong at 759. By the afternoon, the wind goes dead calm, glassy. The swell holds at 3 ft from the south with 705 energy. This is as clean as it gets. Irmas/Leftpoint is a reef break, so this long-period south swell will wrap in nicely and line up. The water temp anomaly is average for this time of year, so don't worry about a chill. Just keep in mind, this is nearly two weeks out, so treat it as a promising look, not a guarantee.

After that, the wind gets messy again. Thursday the 3rd of September turns onshore, and by Friday the 4th we’re back to lumpy cross-shore junk with the swell climbing over 7 ft. That’s expert-only territory even if it were clean, but it won’t be.

So, to sum it up: don’t bother with your board until the afternoon of the 1st of September. The absolute standout is Wednesday the 2nd of September – get out there for that glassy south groundswell. The rest is a write-off.

Stay safe, and keep an eye on that long-range window.

Rusty

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