Playa Varesse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag shaping up for the next couple of weeks. The long and short of it is, we’re looking at a few days of small, clean surf early on, but the real juice is waiting for us in the second week. You’ll need some patience.

Let’s start with the only spot worth talking about: Playa Varesse. The water is sitting at 51°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus.

We kick off on Tuesday, August 4th with a small pulse. Morning glass is on, with a 3ft swell from the SE, period around 10 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (230). It’s small, but the glassy conditions will make it feel a lot better than the size suggests. The afternoon turns a bit lumpy as the wind swings cross-on, so the morning is the go.

Wednesday, August 5th stays small and clean. Swell drops to 2ft in the morning with a light cross-off breeze, making for some tidy little lines. Energy is light (106). It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s surfable and uncrowded.

Thursday the 6th is a write-off with strong onshore winds and heavy rain. The swell is messy and short-period (4-5 seconds). Don’t bother.

Friday, August 7th brings a little lift. The morning is clean with a moderate offshore wind from the WSW at 16 mph, and a 3ft SSE swell. That offshore wind is a major positive here. The energy is weak (92), but these are the kinds of mornings where you can get a few fun ones to yourself.

The weekend (August 8th-9th) stays small, with swell dropping to 2-2ft. The wind stays offshore or cross-off, so it’s clean, but you’ll be hunting for the odd ankle-to-knee high roller. The period stretches out to 12 seconds on Sunday, which is a long-period groundswell, but the size is just too small to get excited about.

Now, hold on to your boards, because Tuesday, August 11th we see a real spike. The combined energy jumps to a strong 489, with a 5ft SE swell and a 12-second period. The wind is a clean cross-off. This is a proper groundswell. The long period means it’ll be a bit straight at the beach, but the offshore wind will help. The morning session is the pick.

Wednesday, August 12th is a standout. The morning is glassy, with a 4ft SSE swell at 10 seconds. The energy is still strong (267). The combined energy of all swells is moderate, but the glassy conditions and clean, surfable waves make this one of the best windows in the whole forecast. The afternoon turns a little onshore, so get on it early.

After that, we drift back into small conditions through the 13th and 14th, with the odd clean morning but nothing to write home about.

The real highlight, the one you should circle on the calendar, is Monday, August 18th, and Tuesday, August 19th. The swell builds in late on the 18th, but the wind is howling onshore from the NNE, making a mess of it. The energy is very strong (980 in the afternoon), but the conditions are poor.

That all changes on Wednesday, August 19th. The morning brings a 6ft ESE swell with a 12-second period, and the wind swings offshore from the SW at 9 mph. The combined energy is very strong (972). This is big, powerful, and clean. The wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions". This is a serious swell. For experts only, as it’s pushing towards 7ft. The long period and offshore wind will make it a classic at Playa Varesse, but the long period does mean it’ll be a bit more challenging at a beach break. If you’re intermediate, watch the size and be careful. The afternoon on the 19th is still big, but the wind picks up, making it a bit more ragged.

So, to sum it up: the first week is for the patient, with the best of a small window being Wednesday morning and Friday morning. The second week has two clear standouts: Wednesday, August 12th for a glassy, fun session, and Wednesday, August 19th for a proper, powerful groundswell with offshore winds. The 19th is the big one, but it’s for the experienced crew.

Rusty.

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