Sidi Ifni Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

To be honest, the first few days here are a bit of a tease. There’s some small swell rolling in, but the winds are messing with it, and the periods are short and fat. It’s not going to be a total washout, but you’re going to have to work for anything decent. We’ve got a real window of cleaner conditions on Monday morning at Sidi Ifni (South Morocco). The water’s sitting at a normal 69°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises on that front.

That Monday morning, September 7th, is your best bet for a paddle. The swell is a modest 3ft from the NNW with a 12-second period, and the wind is dead glassy out of the East. That means clean, lined-up waves, even if they’re not huge. The energy is moderate at 398, so there’s a bit of push behind them. It’s a good one for the beginner to intermediate crew, something to get your soul fired up. The beach and reef setup should handle that swell nicely, offering a mix of peaks.

Tuesday morning, September 8th, is a similar story. Again, 3ft of NNW groundswell with a 12-second period, and glass again with a touch of NNE air. It’s another clean, small day. After that, the wind clocks around onshore and the swell bumps up in size but the period drops to 8 seconds. That makes for a weaker, jumbled-up mess. For Wednesday through Saturday, it’s all cross-onshore winds and short-period, lumpy conditions. The energy climbs, but it’s not the good kind. It’s close to 493 by Friday morning, but with that short period, it’s going to be a bit of a washing machine out there. The size is there, around 6ft, but the quality is going to suck for a surfboard. Honestly, with that cross-onshore wind and a beach and reef setup, this looks more like a day for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

We get a slight drop in size and a brief bump in period on Sunday, September 13th, but it’s still cross-onshore and the period drops right back off. Not good. The following week starts with a little more promise, though. On Monday the 14th, we see a longer period swell (14 seconds) roll in with a clean cross wind in the morning. The size is small at 3ft, but that long period groundswell is a different beast. The energy is moderate at 305. This could be a bit shifty at the beach breaks, but the reef sections might just make it work.

Then things truly get interesting towards the end of the run. We’re looking at a bigger pulse of swell for Thursday the 17th. The morning brings a solid 8ft of NNW swell, and it’s still holding that cross-onshore wind. That’s on the big side, over 8ft by the afternoon. That’s expert territory there. This is when the energy readings start to get serious. We’re talking 885 on Thursday morning, ramping up to a strong 1374 by the afternoon. For this area, that’s a serious amount of juice behind it. This is the standout swell of the whole period, for sure. A word of caution though, it’s not clean. The wind is still not ideal, but that swell size and power will have the points and reefs going off if you’re skilled enough to handle it.

The week after that holds more of the same, with solid 7ft waves on Friday and Saturday. But the winds remain a bit lumpy. The real reward comes on Sunday, September 20th. That’s when the wind finally goes completely calm and glassy. The swell is a very surfable 5ft from the NNW with a 9-second period. The energy is moderate at 375. This is your other clean, quality window. It’s still not huge, but on a clean, glassy day like this, it’ll be pure fun. This is the one to plan for if the bigger stuff is too much.

So, to sum it up: there are a few small clean windows early on, but the real standouts are the big, powerful, and tricky swell around the 17th, and the clean, glassy day on the 20th. The long period stuff in the second week is promising, but keep in mind that it can break a bit straight on the beach breaks. The points and reefs should be the place to be. It’s a mixed bag, but there’s definitely something in there for everyone.

Rusty

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