Playa de Arrigunaga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the 16-day outlook for our local zone. This is a bit of a mixed bag so let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty uninspiring run of surf. The water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year, nothing to write home about. The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until Saturday the 22nd of August. Before that, it’s a whole lot of poor conditions with cross-onshore winds and weak, choppy energy. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are write-offs.

Saturday the 22nd morning shows a tease at Playa de Arrigunaga. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the NW, with a short 9-second period. The energy is weak (237), but the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the east, so it’ll be rideable. It’s nothing special, but it’s the first clean window in days. The afternoon goes cross-shore and messy, so hit the dawn patrol.

We then hit a dry spell. Sunday the 23rd through Tuesday the 25th sees tiny swell and poor conditions. The energy drops to barely a whisper (58 on Sunday morning, 4 on Tuesday morning). It’s a total flat spell. Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are also poor, with a fresh cross-onshore wind on Thursday morning making a 6ft NW swell lumpy and ugly. The energy picks up (515), but the wind ruins it.

The real standout, and the one worth circling on the calendar, is Saturday the 29th of August. The morning at Playa de Arrigunaga is looking glassy – dead calm, with a light westerly breeze. There’s a solid 7ft NW swell (moderate energy at 532) with a short 8-second period. It’s got that glassy, clean surface, which is a massive plus. This is the best on offer in the whole period for a clean, punchy wave. It’s an intermediate-friendly size, but the short period will keep it a bit crumbly, so get your timing right.

Another good morning window pops up on Sunday the 30th. Glassy again with a light SSE wind, 5ft NW swell (351 energy). More manageable, clean conditions. Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September also have glassy mornings with 5ft NW swell. These are all decent, clean options, but the 29th is the standout for size and quality.

Looking further out, Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon builds to a 7ft NW swell (876 energy, moderate) but with a cross-shore wind, so it’s not peak. The real long-range gem is Thursday the 3rd of September morning. We’re looking at very good surf conditions with a 6ft NW swell (10-second period, 701 energy) and a clean cross-offshore easterly wind. That’s a promising setup, but it’s over a week away, so keep your expectations in check.

The final Friday the 4th of September morning is glassy again with a 5ft NW swell, a nice way to end the run.

Bottom line: There’s a lot of flat and poor stuff in the first week, but once we hit the last weekend of August and into early September, the mornings are where it’s at. The glassy windows are your best friend. Don’t sleep on the 29th.

Rusty.

Read more