Playa Varesse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The next couple of weeks around here are a tale of two halves: a long, quiet stretch with nothing worth paddling out for, then a solid pulse of swell that’ll have us lacing up the booties.

First up, we’ve got a real dry spell. From Thursday the 23rd of July right through to the end of the month, it’s mostly a write-off. The waves are tiny and the energy is weak – we’re looking at combined swell energy figures of just 81, 74, 63, that kind of thing. The odd cleaner moment shows up, like Sunday the 26th morning with a fresh offshore breeze from the SW and a clean surface, but the swell is only 2ft from the east with a short period of 8 seconds. It’s not going to get you out of bed. Monday afternoon the 27th has a glassy moment, but again, that 3ft NE swell is only 5 seconds – all chop and no push. That’s a full week of poor to ordinary surf.

Now, things start to shift into the first week of August. Saturday the 1st of August morning sees a bit of a pulse coming in: 6ft from the SE with combined energy hitting 296. The wind is cross-off from the SW, so it’s clean. But the real standout hits Saturday afternoon. That same day, the swell holds at 7ft from the SE, period hanging around 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 532. The wind is still cross-off and clean. This is the best we’ve seen in the whole outlook. It’s a solid, surfable size, but at 7ft it’s getting up there – better suited for surfers with some experience under their belt. The break is Playa Varesse – consistent, fairly exposed, and the swell is coming from the ESE direction which lines up with what this spot likes. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, so you might have company.

Sunday the 2nd of August morning has a huge jump in energy – 1166! That’s proper strong swell. Swell is 6ft from the ESE with a 9-second period. The wind is light and cross from the north, with just a few ripples on the surface. It’s got a lot of power, but the wave comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” That’s a hint – big energy, but you gotta pick the tide right. Monday afternoon the 3rd of August also looks tasty: 6ft from the ENE, glassy conditions, and combined energy of 389. Again, clean and punchy. Thursday the 6th of August morning brings a shift: 4ft from the east with an 11-second period, which is a nice long-period groundswell. The wind is offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be super clean. The energy is moderate at 284, but the quality will be there.

So, the standout day is Saturday the 1st of August afternoon. That 7ft SE swell with clean cross-off winds and solid energy (532) is the pick of the whole 16 days. The water temperature is sitting at 50°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – about 3°F above average, so you might not need the thickest gloves.

After that, the swell starts to fade into the second week. The 7th of August has a cleaner 3ft east swell but the energy drops to 205, and the wind is cross-off from the south. It’s not terrible, but it’s nothing special. The rest of the outlook fizzles out.

So, be patient. The first week is a washout. Then the beginning of August brings the goods, especially that Saturday afternoon. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

Read more