Izquierda Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s coming our way for Izquierda. Straight up, I’ve got to be honest with you – this 16-day window is a tough one. We’ve got a consistent, exposed reef break that wants to work, but the conditions are just not playing ball for most of the run. The water is sitting at 74°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re waiting for something decent.

The pattern is pretty grim. From Wednesday the 12th all the way through to the end of the third week, the forecast is basically a broken record: poor surf conditions. The wind is blowing hard from the north and north-northeast, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, with speeds between 12 and 19 mph. That’s going to chop things up bad. The swell is hanging around the 3 ft to 4 ft range with short periods of 5 to 7 seconds, and the combined wave energy is weak to moderate, sitting between 141 and 275. It’s just not going to be any fun out there – think bumpy, weak, and messy. Even the few days where the wind looks lighter, like Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, the swell is still short-period and the quality is rated as poor.

There’s a real gap in quality here. From Wednesday the 12th right through to Saturday the 22nd, it’s a solid stretch of nothing worth paddling out for. The wind finally eases a bit around Sunday the 23rd, with a slightly better 5 ft swell from the north and a period of 10 seconds, but the combined energy jumps up to 472 – moderate to strong. Even then, the wind is still onshore or cross-onshore, so don’t expect it to be clean. The same goes for Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th: the swell hangs around 4 ft to 5 ft, period 9 seconds, but the wind is still a problem.

Honestly, the only thing that might get a bit of attention is the very end of the run, around Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th. The swell is a little bigger and has a bit more grunt, but the wind is still not fully cooperating. If you’re a die-hard, you might find a window on Sunday the 23rd morning when the wind is a moderate 12 mph from the north and the swell is 5 ft from the north with a 10-second period. The energy is moderate to strong there (472), so there’s some push, but it’s onshore wind, so it’ll be bumpy. For a reef break like Izquierda, which is exposed to the north, that wind direction is straight onshore, and that’s not ideal. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might not have to fight for a peak, but the quality is still poor.

All in all, this is a lean period. If you’re a beginner, the swell rarely gets above 5 ft, so it’s not too big, but the wind and short-period chop will make it a struggle. For experts, there’s nothing here that’s going to get the heart pumping. I’d say keep the board in the car and check the forecast again in a few days – this one’s a write-off for now.

Rusty.

Read more