Voltri Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board, but don’t get your hopes up too high just yet. The 16-day outlook for Voltri (Italy) is a long, frustrating stretch of mostly flat or junk conditions, with a few bright spots buried way out in the forecast. The water temperature is sitting at 29° which is a good 4° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s seriously warm, way above average.

First up, we’ve got a real quiet spell. From Wednesday the 19th of August right through the end of the month, it’s pretty grim. There’s very little swell on offer, and what does show up is mostly small, short-period, and blown out by onshore winds. The combined energy is weak, rarely getting above 100 (3 to 55 range) for most of that period. You’ll see a little bump on Friday the 21st morning with a 4 ft SSW swell but the wind is cross-on and it’s all junky. Friday afternoon sees a 6 ft SSW swell but there’s a moderate breeze on it, energy hits 262 (moderate), but it’s still poor quality. Saturday the 22nd morning is the first real glimmer – a 3 ft SSW swell with a clean offshore wind from the N. That’s surfable but ordinary, with a weak energy of 96. Still, if you’re desperate, it’s the best of a bad bunch early on. Then it flatlines again through the 23rd, 24th, and 25th, with barely a ripple.

Then Tuesday the 25th afternoon brings a sudden jump: 7 ft SW swell, but it’s smothered by a strong onshore wind from the S, energy at 521 (strong). That’s not for paddling – that’s kitesurfing territory. The same goes for Thursday the 27th afternoon: 7 ft SW swell, onshore wind at 16 mph, energy at 680 (strong). Too wild for a clean wave.

Now, the real standout is Wednesday the 2nd of September. That morning, we’ve got a 8 ft SSW swell coming in with a clean offshore NNW wind at 9 mph. The combined energy is a solid 535 (strong). That’s a proper swell, but at 8 ft it’s getting big – only for experienced surfers. The period is 7 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, which means it’ll be a bit bumpy and won’t have that long, clean wall. Voltri is a point break, so it should still offer some fun, lined-up waves if the wind holds. The afternoon session is also good with a 5 ft SSW swell and lighter offshore wind. That’s your best bet by far, but remember, it’s a long way out – promising, but not a guarantee.

Everything after that drops off again into flatness. The 3rd of September has a tiny 1.0 ft SW swell with a very long period of 9 seconds – that’s a groundswell but no size to work with.

So, bottom line: you’ve got a long wait with almost nothing on offer until early September. The 2nd of September morning is the one to circle if you’re an experienced surfer, but keep an eye on the forecast because it’s a long way off. For now, the Mediterranean is giving us a lot of nothing.

Rusty

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