Vagabundo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window is a tough one. The only spot on the radar is Vagabundo, and even then, it’s a real struggle. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with no real surf to speak of for the bulk of the period.

The overall pattern is grim. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is weak and short-period. The first recommendation doesn’t come until Sunday the 16th of August, and from there we have a solid run of poor conditions right through to the end of the month. Honestly, there are no standout days. The combined swell energy is mostly between 150 and 300 (moderate wave energy), but with the wind ruining it, it doesn’t matter.

Let’s walk through it. The best of a bad bunch comes on the morning of Friday the 21st of August. The swell bumps up to 5 ft from the N with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy hits 267 (moderate), but the wind is a solid 16 mph onshore from the N. It’s going to be a messy, bumpy mess. Not beginner-friendly, but not big enough for experts either. It’s a poor surf call.

The worst of it is the late-arriving swell around the 27th and 28th of August. The swell height jumps to 7 ft from the NNE with an 8-second period, and the combined energy shoots up to 605 (moderate-to-strong wave energy). That sounds exciting, but it’s all onshore wind and a short-period windswell. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing to note there.

The 24th and 25th are particularly weak, with swell dropping to 2 ft to 3 ft and combined energy below 200 (weak). The 26th of August sees a slight uptick in swell to 5 ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore and choppy.

For a break that’s consistent and exposed to the NNW, the swell direction is often coming from the wrong angle (NNE), which doesn’t help. The crowds are listed as “sometimes” but with conditions this poor, you won’t have to worry about that.

Bottom line: This is a blank run. There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. The onshore wind and short-period swell just won’t let anything clean up. It’s a kite-surfing setup, not a paddle-surfing one. Keep your board in the car and wait for a change in the forecast – it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

Read more