Surf Forecasts:
Las Urracas surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period, SW swell with 673 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Las Urracas this week:
The surf forecast for Las Urracas over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Las Urracas in the next 16 days are 1.4m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (-04) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Las Urracas over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this 16-day stretch for Las Urracas is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some windows where it’ll be worth getting wet, but you’ll need to pick your moments. We’ve got a moderate combined swell energy for most of it, but a few days stand out as proper call-offs.
Alright, starting with the first good sign – Saturday the 15th of August. That afternoon, the wind goes glassy, and we’ve got a 4ft swell rolling in from the SW with a 13-second period. The combined energy is sitting at 585, which is solid. That’s going to produce some clean, lined-up waves. The water’s sitting a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, about 65°, so you won’t need the thickest wetsuit either.
Then Sunday the 16th of August, another standout in the afternoon. Glassy conditions again with a 2ft swell, but it’s a long-period 16-second groundswell from the SW – combined energy at 536. That low period will put some real shape into the reef, especially at Las Urracas itself. A reef break like this handles that long-period energy well, so you’ll get clean, hollow little runners, though it’ll be a smaller wave.
Monday the 17th of August morning is a beauty. Dead calm, glassy, with a 4ft SW swell at 14 seconds. Combined energy at 504. Again, that long period suits the reef setup here. It’ll be smooth, well-shaped, and relatively easy paddling between sets. This is probably the pick of the whole run – just you, the reef, and the ocean.
After that, things get messy. Tuesday the 18th onward we start seeing cross-onshore winds and the swell period dropping off. By Wednesday the 19th, we’ve got a 12 mph cross-on breeze chopping up a 4ft to 5ft swell with only an 8 to 9 second period – that’s windswell junk. Combined energy is still moderate at 535-586, but the quality is poor. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddler’s dream.
There’s a tiny glimmer on Thursday afternoon the 20th of August – glassy conditions and a 3ft, 14-second SW swell, but it’s small. After that, we drop into a long gap of marginal to poor surf. From the 21st of August through to the 27th of August, the swell drops below 3ft most days, and the energy numbers sit below 300 for a lot of it. A few glassy moments on the 21st afternoon, the 22nd morning, and the 23rd morning give you surfable 2ft to 3ft waves, but it’s ordinary – nothing to write home about. This is a sustained flat spell for the area.
The last day on offer – the 27th of August – shows a slight uptick in combined energy to 390 (morning) and 474 (afternoon) with a 16-second SW swell and 3ft to 3ft height, but the wind stays cross-onshore, so it’s marginal.
Bottom line: your best bets are Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning around the 15th-17th of August. The rest is either too small, too choppy, or a long period of quiet. If you can chase those few days, you’ll get some good, glassy reef rides. If not, it’s a quiet couple of weeks.
Stay safe, keep your wax warm,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
287 | 243 | 154 | 349 | 600 | 515 | 573 | 503 | 412 | 390 | 444 | 290 | 258 | 214 | 360 | 373 | 357 | 350 | 518 | 295 | 331 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross |
High Tide | 8:44AM1.52m | 9:10PM0.99m | 9:30AM1.51m | 9:57PM1.04m | 10:13AM1.47m | 10:43PM1.09m | 10:55AM1.39m | 11:28PM1.11m | 11:37AM1.28m | 00:15AM1.13m | 12:19PM1.15m | 1:04AM1.13m | 1:03PM1.02m | 1:58AM1.12m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:31PM0.25m | 2:51AM0.26m | 4:12PM0.23m | 3:41AM0.26m | 4:51PM0.23m | 4:31AM0.29m | 5:28PM0.25m | 5:22AM0.35m | 6:05PM0.29m | 6:15AM0.42m | 6:42PM0.34m | 7:14AM0.50m | 7:21PM0.40m | ||||||||
7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | |
— | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 20 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SSW 10 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 10 | SW 13 |
122 | 140 | 93 | 192 | 600 | 515 | 573 | 503 | 412 | 390 | 444 | 237 | 258 | 196 | 360 | 373 | 357 | 350 | 518 | 177 | 331 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SSW 10 | SW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SW 8 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 8 | SW 8 | — | SW 13 | SW 9 |
287 | 243 | 154 | 349 | 151 | 86 | 53 | 53 | 30 | 26 | 16 | 290 | 142 | 183 | 123 | 81 | 58 | 33 | — | 295 | 125 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | WSW 21 | SW 19 | SSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 8 | W 13 | W 13 | — | — | SW 20 | SW 18 |
18 | 43 | 133 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 137 | 214 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 15 | 50 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Tarapaca | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Chile | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Las Urracas Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Las Urracas provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Las Urracas can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Las Urracas surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Las Urracas) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Las Urracas may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Tarapaca? If you are looking for accommodation near Las Urracas, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Tarapaca, consider staying in Iquique which is 4 km (2 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Patillos which is 58 km (36 miles) away











