La Izquierda Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for La Izquierda and I gotta tell ya, it’s a pretty quiet stretch ahead. The patterns are looking really sluggish for the next week and a half.

First up, the water temp is sittin’ at 74°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The forecast kicks off on Thursday 30 July, but it’s a real weak start. Thursday morning you’ve got a tiny 0.7 ft swell from the WNW with a short period of 10 seconds and combined energy of just 12 – that’s barely a ripple. It’s glassy, sure, but the waves are just not there. That afternoon, a little bump shows up: 4 ft from the NE with a 6-second period, energy climbs to 107 (moderate), but the direction is way off for this spot. La Izquierda needs NW swell to really work, and this NE pulse is just messy. It’s surfable, but honestly, it’s ordinary.

Friday 31 July morning is more of the same – 4 ft NE, 7-second period, 102 energy. Glassy wind, but the swell direction is still wrong. Afternoon drops off to 1 ft NW with 11 seconds, only 31 energy – too small to get excited about.

Saturday 1 August and Sunday 2 August are flat and choppy. Saturday brings cross-onshore winds up to 16 mph and swell barely 2 ft – that’s kite-surfing conditions, not paddle surfing. Sunday morning is glassy but only 1 ft. Nothing doing.

The whole first week of August is a dead zone. From Monday 3 August right through to Sunday 10 August, the swell barely gets above 1 ft, and the combined energy mostly sits in the teens or single digits. It’s a long, quiet spell with no real surf to speak of.

Then, finally, a bit of life shows up. On Tuesday 11 August morning, a new pulse arrives: 5 ft from the NE with an 8-second period and combined energy of 243 (strong). The wind is glassy. This is the best looking window in the whole forecast. Tuesday afternoon sees it push to 6 ft NE, 8 seconds, 419 energy, still glassy. Wednesday 12 August morning holds 6 ft NE, 8 seconds, 498 energy, with clean cross-off wind. Wednesday afternoon is 6 ft NE, 8 seconds, 430 energy, glassy. This is a solid run of moderate-sized swell, but – and it’s a big but – the direction is NE, not the ideal NW. At La Izquierda, a NE swell won’t wrap in perfectly, so the waves will be a bit straighter and less defined than if it came from the northwest. The period is short (8 seconds), so it’s choppier, wind swell stuff. That said, with glassy conditions and consistent energy, it’ll be rideable and fun for advanced surfers, but beginners might find 5 ft+ a bit much. This is the standout of the whole 16 days.

By Thursday 13 August, the swell starts to fade and the wind turns cross-on from the NW, getting messy. Friday 14 August is back to flat.

So, the bottom line: there’s a long gap of almost no surf from the start until the 11th of August. The real call is that Tuesday 11 August through Wednesday 12 August, with the NE swell and glassy wind, is your best bet. It’s not perfect direction, but it’s the only real wave action in the whole outlook. Don’t expect much else.

Rusty.

Read more