Playa de Arrigunaga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, hard look at the next couple of weeks for Playa de Arrigunaga. I’ve gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim stretch ahead. The swell is tiny, a lot of the time it’s onshore, and the wave energy is really weak. We’re looking at a long, flat spell until we get a tiny glimmer of hope in the second week.

First up, from Tuesday 14 July all the way through to Sunday 20 July, it’s a write-off. We’re talking waves mostly under 2 ft, with combined energy readings barely cracking 20 (that’s a weak 20). The wind is a mixed bag of glassy mornings and cross/onshore afternoons, but even the cleanest ones – like the glassy Tuesday morning (14 July) with 1 ft from the NNW – just don’t have any push. On Wednesday 15 July, the swell direction switches to WNW, but the height drops to a pathetic 0.7 ft with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a long period for a tiny wave, meaning it’ll just be a slow, rolling lump. Not worth paddling out for.

We finally see a slight uptick around Monday 20 July. The morning brings a bit of a bump with 3 ft from the NNE, a period of 6 seconds, and a decent cross-offshore wind from the ENE. The energy creeps up to 59, but the wave comment still says “poor surf conditions.” That’s a small, short-period, windswell, and it’s just not enough to get excited about. The afternoon stays clean-ish but cross-shore, with 3 ft and 60 energy.

The best chance, and I mean the *only* chance worth mentioning, comes on the morning of Tuesday 21 July. We’ve got 3 ft from the NNE, a period of 6 seconds, and a clean cross-offshore breeze from the ENE. The combined energy is 81 (moderate wave energy), and the wave comment finally upgrades to “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” This is the standout, but it’s a low bar. It’s a small, short-period swell, so it won’t have much shape, but it’ll be clean. The crowds are *often* an issue here, so expect company. For a complete beginner, 3 ft is fine, but it’s not a wave you’ll want to write home about.

After that, it drops back into the doldrums. Wednesday 22 July through Saturday 26 July is all small, poor-quality, onshore or cross-onshore slop, with energy in the 30s and 40s. A couple of glassy mornings on the 24th and 25th offer clean 3 ft, but the swell is from the NW and the period is 8 seconds or less, making it weak and gutless. The energy is only 67 and 64 – weak.

Looking further out, Monday 27 July morning shows another little spike. We’ve got 3 ft from the NW with a period of 9 seconds and a glassy, calm wind. The energy reading jumps to 115 (moderate wave energy). The wave comment again says “surfable but very ordinary.” It’s a bit more juice, but the period is still short for a groundswell, and it’s a beach break, so it won’t be a classic. The afternoon turns choppy. The crowds are still a factor.

So, to wrap it up: The first 7 days are almost completely flat. Your only real, honest-to-goodness surf window is the morning of Tuesday 21 July and possibly the morning of Monday 27 July. Both are small, clean, and ordinary. For a true standout with power and shape, you’re out of luck this forecast period. The search continues.

Rusty.

Read more