Vagabundo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our little corner of the coast.

To be honest, looking at the whole 16-day window, I gotta say it’s a bit of a tough stretch. There’s not a single day that jumps out as epic. The wind is just relentless, hammering us from the NNE for the entire run, keeping things messy. It’s going to be a long wait for a clean set.

The only spot we’ve got to look at is Vagabundo. This break is consistent, so it’s always trying to catch something, and it’s exposed to the swell. The optimum direction here would be a clean NNW groundswell, but what we’re getting is a lot of wind-affected N and NNE lines. Beginners will find the smaller days manageable, but there’s nothing here to get the heart racing.

Starting from Thursday the 20th of August right through the weekend and into the following week, it’s pretty bleak. We're looking at small, short-period swell around the 3ft mark with periods of 6-8 seconds. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore *constantly*, so expect choppy, bumpy conditions. The wave energy is weak to moderate (113 to 216), and the surf quality is rated as poor the whole time. There’s really no reason to get wet.

Now, around Monday the 24th of August, we see a spike in energy. The swell jumps to 5ft from the N with a much longer 12-second period. The combined energy hits 761 (moderate wave energy), which is interesting, but the wind is still working against us with a gentle onshore breeze in the morning and a cross-onshore in the afternoon. It’s a “marginal” call at best.

The middle of the second week picks up again. From Thursday the 27th of August through to the beginning of September, we see the swell staying around 7ft to 8ft from the NNE with periods of 7-8 seconds. For a solid chunk of time, the wave energy is high, frequently kicking out readings between 444 and 817. That’s some serious water moving around. But again, the wind is the killer. It’s coming from the NNE at 12-19 mph, almost always cross-onshore, making the conditions choppy, lumpy, and blown-out. At this size (over 5ft and often over 8ft), this spot is really only for experienced surfers, and even then, the wind is going to make it a battle. With that much wind and size on a beach setup, this honestly looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The run finishes out on Friday the 4th of September with the swell dropping back to 4ft and the wind still messing things up. A real shame.

So, what’s the standout? There isn’t one. If I had to pick the least bad moment, it would be Monday morning, August 24th, at Vagabundo. That 5ft N groundswell with a 12-second period (761 energy) has the best potential shape, but the gentle onshore wind from the NNE will put a crinkle on it. It’s more of a “keep an eye on it” than a “get the car packed” situation.

Vagabundo is the only game in town, but the wind is the main character in this story, and it’s not a friendly one. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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