Irmas/Leftpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for this spot. I’m talking about Irmas/Leftpoint, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and takes an ESE swell. Water temps are sitting right about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The forecast kicks off Tuesday, July 28th, with a solid 8ft to 8ft easterly swell rolling in, period around 13 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell with some grunt. The combined energy is strong, sitting at 2377 to 2546. But here’s the rub: the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-off from the NE and NNE. It’s clean, but that onshore component is going to mess with the shape. The scores are low, and it’s marked as marginal. Probably not worth paddling out for the quality on offer.

Wednesday, July 29th, drops off a bit. Swell around 8ft in the morning, dropping to 6ft by afternoon, with a shorter period of 9 to 10 seconds. Wind swings to a light SSW cross-on, 6 to 9 mph. The combined energy is moderate (1135 to 815). It’s marginal, and the morning might have a few clean-ish ones with light wind ripples, but the afternoon turns choppy. Not a standout.

From Thursday, July 30th, right through to the end of the first week and into the second, it’s a grim run. The wind locks in from the ENE, strong and fresh, 19 to 28 mph, blowing cross or cross-on. The swell sticks around 5ft to 10ft, but the period drops to a woeful 8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate to strong (534 to 1487), but it’s all messy, lumpy, and choppy. The scores are all zeros. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Even when the swell gets up to 10ft on Saturday, August 1st, and again on August 7th and 8th, the wind ruins it. That’s a big gap of no good surf from Thursday, July 30th, all the way through to Monday, August 10th.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on Thursday, August 6th, in the afternoon. The wind flips to a moderate NNE cross-off at 16 mph, and the swell is 8ft from the ENE, but with a short 7-second period. It’s clean, but the wave quality is still marginal. Not a goer.

Then, on Monday, August 10th, the swell drops right off to 3ft to 3ft, but the period jumps to 15 to 16 seconds from the SSW. That’s a very long period groundswell, and combined energy is moderate (921 to 888). The wind is still a strong cross-shore, 22 to 25 mph, so it’s messy. A long period swell like this needs a point or a reef to wrap around, but the wind is just too strong to make it work. The next few days into August 12th are similar – small, long period swell, but the wind never lets up. It’s poor.

Overall, there’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The first couple of days have size but the wind is a problem, and then it’s a long stretch of onshore slop. If you’re desperate, maybe the Tuesday morning, July 28th, has the best chance for a clean-ish wave, but don’t expect much. The second week is a write-off.

Rusty.

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