Playa de Arrigunaga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gonna be honest with you right off the bat, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat for Playa de Arrigunaga. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about, so let’s break it down.

We’re starting from Thursday, July 30th, and honestly, the surf is a total no-show. The water is sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing worth noting. The first week is a write-off. We’re looking at tiny, weak swell with combined energy readings barely getting into double digits (68), and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or just messy. There’s a glimpse of glassy conditions on Saturday morning, August 1st, but the swell is only 2 ft from the NW and struggling to hold any shape. It’s a classic case of a lake, not an ocean. You’ll be staring at a flat, clean surface, but not a wave to ride. This flat spell drags on right through until the end of the first week.

We’re then looking at a gap of almost a week and a half of poor surf until we finally see a pulse of energy. The first real sign of life shows up on Tuesday morning, August 11th. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the north, with a combined energy of 83, and it’s glassy. The commentary says it’s “surfable but very ordinary,” which is about right. It’s a small, weak northerly with a short period of 6 seconds. That’s a weak windswell, not a groundswell. It’s the best we’ve got, but it’s a major compromise.

For the absolute best of a bad bunch, I’d point you to that Tuesday morning, August 11th. The glassy conditions are a major positive, and the 3 ft north swell is the biggest we’ll see. But keep your expectations in check. The waves will be small, weak, and lack punch. It’s a session for the log or a longboard, not for a performance board. The afternoon on the same day sees the wind shift to a cross-shore, and the energy ticks up a bit (101), but the onshore breeze will chop it up.

A few other mornings pop up, like Wednesday, August 12th, with a clean cross-offshore wind and a 3 ft north-northeast swell, but it’s still small. And then on Friday, August 14th, we see a long-period swell pop up – 11 seconds from the NW – which is a proper groundswell. The energy hits 92, but the swell height is only 2 ft and the wind is blowing straight onshore. That long period groundswell would be a dream at a point break, but here at a beach break, it’s just going to break straight and be a close-out on the tiny waves. Not worth paddling out for.

So, there you have it. A long, flat spell, then a few small, weak windows. The standout is the morning of Tuesday, August 11th, but it’s a real farmer’s choice. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, things can change.

Rusty.

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