Villa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at Villa.

Honestly, I’m a bit bummed to say it, but this whole 16-day stretch is a real grind. There’s no killer day, no clean, glassy perfection to get excited about. It’s a long run of marginal surf with a persistent cross-onshore wind messing it up. The water is running at 69°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year — about 7° above the regular, so that’s a real oddity, but it’s not going to fix the chop.

The first real chunk of surf kicks off right from the start, Saturday morning, August 29, at Villa (reef). There’s a solid 6ft swell from the southwest, with a long period of 14 seconds, giving it some proper grunt. The combined energy of all swells is a hefty 1324 (strong to very strong wave energy). But the wind is from the south at 6 mph, blowing cross-on, and it’s just light enough to only create small wind ripples. The forecast says it’s marginal — the tide or conditions are off — and it’s an advanced-only break anyway, so this isn’t for the faint-hearted. Through Saturday afternoon, the wind picks up to 9 mph, making it choppier, and the swell drops to 6ft, still with that long period.

Sunday, August 30, the swell backs off to 5ft in the morning, period drops to 13 seconds, but the south wind is still 9 mph and cross-on, leaving the face fairly choppy. By Sunday afternoon, it’s down to 5ft and the energy is fading (629). The condition is described as poor surf, so I’d give it a miss.

Monday, August 31, the swell is down to 4ft in the morning, with a 12-second period, and the wind goes onshore from the southwest at 6 mph. The energy is weak (494). Poor surf conditions. The same story continues through the week.

There’s a slight flicker on Thursday morning, September 3, when the swell picks up to 4ft, period 17 seconds, and the energy is back into the moderate range (1058). The wind is still cross-on from the south-southwest at 6 mph, but it’s light, so only small ripples. Still, it’s only rated as marginal.

The best of a bad bunch comes on Friday, September 4, when the morning shows 5ft from the southwest, period 16 seconds, energy 1245 (strong). The wind is the same story — light cross-on from the south at 6 mph. It’s the closest to being alright, but it’s still not clean. If you’re desperate, that’s your window.

The second week gets even quieter. From September 5 onwards, the swell drops below 5ft, periods are shorter, and the energy fades. The morning of September 7 has a 3ft swell but with a very long 18-second period, combined energy 795 (moderate), and light cross-on wind. It’s a long-period groundswell, which at a reef like Villa can be okay, but the size is tiny.

The only real spike in the second week is Sunday, September 13, with the afternoon seeing 6ft from the south-southwest, period 8 seconds (short-period wind swell), and energy 1206 (strong). The wind is onshore from the southwest at 6 mph, so it’s a bit of a mushy, windy mess. It’s the biggest swell of the whole period, but the wind and short period won’t do it any favours. For a reef break, that short period is a letdown.

So, bottom line: there’s no true standout. The best I can say is Friday, September 4, morning, with the 5ft southwest swell and light wind, is your best bet – but it’s still a compromised session. The crowds at Villa are often there, so you’ll have company even in average conditions. If you’re an advanced surfer with a tolerance for chop, you might get a few. Otherwise, I’d leave the board in the car and wait for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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