Sidi Ifni Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks at Sidi Ifni. Truth be told, it’s a bit of a sad start for us. The surf just isn’t showing up proper for most of the forecast period. There’s a long gap of flat, junk surf stretching from now all the way through to the end of the month, with the odd bump here and there but nothing worth paddling out for. You’d be sitting on your board watching nothing but ripples for days.

Sidi Ifni is a beginner-friendly beach and reef set-up, and the water temp is sitting around 69°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But for the first week and a bit, the wind is messy—mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the swell’s coming from the NNW, constantly bumping into that crosswind energy. The swell combination is weak at best, with combined energy values sitting around the low 100s to 200s (like 116 to 222). That’s not gonna get you excited.

There’s a little flicker on Saturday the 22nd of August where the morning shows a 6ft swell from the NNW, period 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 375 (moderate). The wind is listed as “on,” which could be okay, but the forecast calls it marginal at best. Honestly, that’s more of a “keep your eyes peeled” situation rather than a standout.

Things start to look a tiny bit more promising as we roll into the very end of the window. On the morning of Thursday, the 27th of August, there’s a bit of a 5ft swell with glassy conditions, but it’s only scoring enough for “surfable but very ordinary.” Not exactly firing.

But hold on—the real highlight is Monday the 31st of August. Both the morning and afternoon sessions are looking like the best on offer across the whole 16 days. The morning sees a 4ft swell from the NNW, period 8 seconds, combined energy 405 (moderate to strong), and glassy conditions—clean, smooth, no wind to mess it up. The afternoon bumps up the period to 9 seconds, and it’s still glassy, with another combined energy reading of 399. That’s the window to aim for. The swell direction matches the optimum direction for the break (NW is close enough to NNW for a decent wave), and with that glassy wind, it’s going to be as clean as it gets around here. Crowds are sometimes, so you might have company, but it won’t be a zoo.

If you’re a beginner, 4ft is still manageable, but bear in mind it’s not small. The period is around 8 to 9 seconds, so it’s not the longest wall of water, but that combined energy means there’s some push in it.

Bottom line: for the next two weeks, your focus should be on that Monday the 31st. Before that, leave your board in the car.

Rusty.

Read more