Sidi Ifni Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, the first real window of clean surf is Tuesday morning, Sept 8, at Sidi Ifni. It’s a beach and reef setup, and it works best with that northwest swell. The water’s sitting at 69°, about average for the time of year, so no surprises there. That morning, the swell is a modest 3 ft from the NW with a 12-second period—nice and long, meaning proper groundswell energy. The wind is glassy out of the SE at only 3 mph, and the combined energy is moderate at 320. It’s small but clean, perfect for a beginner looking to get a few gentle ones. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so expect a few others in the water.

That afternoon, the wind swings NNW and goes cross-on, and the quality drops. Wednesday the 9th kicks off with a similar-sized swell at 5 ft, but it’s short-period (8 seconds) and onshore, so it’s messy. The rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday look poor—windy and choppy, especially Thursday morning when the swell hits 6 ft but it’s short and cross-on, so the combined energy is moderate (372) but the quality is not there. Honestly, that’s a kite surfing setup more than a paddle session.

Friday morning, Sept 11, offers a real standout. The swell is 6 ft from the NNW, period 8 seconds, and the wind is glassy out of the WSW at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate (369), and the waves are clean. That’s your best bet for the week. It’s a bit bigger than the Tuesday morning, so it’s still fine for intermediates but maybe a step up for total beginners. The lineup could get a bit busy, but with that glassy surface, it’ll be worth it.

Saturday morning, Sept 12, is another strong option. Swell is 6 ft from the NNW, period 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-off from the SSE at 3 mph, keeping the waves clean. The combined energy jumps to strong (504). That’s the biggest, most powerful swell of the first week, and with clean conditions, it’s a standout. This one’s for the more experienced crowd—over 5 ft, so it’s pushing into intermediate-to-expert territory.

After that, Sunday the 13th gets a fresh offshore from the SE at 22 mph, but the swell drops to 4 ft, and the fetch is too strong, making it tricky to paddle into. The afternoon is glassy but small at 3 ft. Monday the 14th has a glassy morning with 3 ft swell and a very long 13-second period, combined energy moderate (293), but it’s tiny. Good for a longboard, but not a standout.

The second week from Sept 15 onward is mostly poor. The swell stays small, under 3 ft, or gets short-period and choppy. There’s a little spike on Sept 16 morning with 5 ft, but it’s short-period (7 seconds) and cross-on, so no good. Sept 17 morning has 4 ft and glassy wind, but it’s short-period (6 seconds) and combined energy is low (209). Worth a look if you’re desperate, but it’s ordinary.

Sept 20 Sunday morning has a strong 25 mph offshore, but the swell is only 2 ft with a long 13-second period—it’s clean but too small and blown out to paddle into. The rest of the week is flat or tiny, with combined energy dropping to weak values like 62 and 56.

Overall, the best of the bunch is Friday morning Sept 11 and Saturday morning Sept 12 at Sidi Ifni. The Friday is glassy and clean, the Saturday is bigger and powerful. Get on it. After that, the window closes.

Rusty.

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