Izquierda Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got some honest talk about what’s coming up at Izquierda over the next couple of weeks.

Right, straight up, this is a tough one. The whole 16-day window is a write-off for decent surf at Izquierda. There’s not a single session that’s worth paddling out for. From August 24th right through to September 8th, the score is zero across the board. The wind is relentless, coming hard out of the north and northeast, smashing any chance of a clean wave. It’s onshore or cross-onshore the whole time, and the wave comment is consistently "poor surf conditions". The water temp is about average for this time of year, but that’s little comfort when you’re looking at blown-out slop.

Let’s walk through it. Monday the 24th starts with a 6ft swell from the NNW, period at 12 seconds, which sounds decent, but the wind is a 9 mph cross-on. That turns it into a choppy, messy affair and the combined energy is 944 (moderate). By the afternoon, the wind jumps to 16 mph onshore and it’s game over. Tuesday and Wednesday are much the same, with waves around 3ft to 5ft, all onshore wind, and energy dropping into the weak zone (between 136 and 462). Thursday and Friday bring some punchier swells, with Friday the 28th seeing 6ft but the wind is a fresh 22 mph onshore or cross-on. The energy on Friday is 228 (weak) to 278 (weak), but it’s lumpy and ugly.

Now, Saturday the 29th is a standout in size, not quality. We get a 7ft swell from the N with a 12-second period. The combined energy jumps to 1415 (strong), which is a lot of power. But the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-on. That’s a recipe for serious chop, not a clean barrel. This is blown-out, powerful slop – only for experts if they’re bored, and honestly, it looks better for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The long period (12 seconds) means the sets will be spaced out, but with that wind, the shape is shot. The rest of the first week stays poor.

Into the second week, things don’t let up. From September 1st to the 4th, we’re looking at 6ft to 8ft swells, but the wind is blowing 19 to 25 mph onshore. The energy is moderate to strong (486 to 878), but it’s all onshore junk. Again, kite surfers might have a ball, but for a surfer, it’s a no-go. The 8ft on Wednesday the 2nd with a 25 mph onshore wind is just dangerous, messy, and not fun. As we move into September 5th and 6th, the swell drops back to 6ft to 7ft, but still onshore. By the final session on September 8th, the wave is down to 4ft with a light 6 mph onshore wind. The energy is 421 (moderate), but with such a small wave and still not clean, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Izquierda is a reef break, exposed to the NW, and it’s consistent, but the wind just doesn’t give it a break in this window. Honestly, there’s no one day I can point to and say “go”. This is a blank run, and for this area, it happens. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, leave the board on the rack.

Rusty.

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