Xa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down.

First off, the bad news: this stretch is mostly a bust. The data shows a whole lot of nothing for the first few days, and then it’s a real mixed bag with very few windows that are worth paddling out for. If you’re hanging for a wave, you’re going to be waiting a while.

The first real flicker of hope shows up on Sunday, July 26th, in the morning. That’s our only real standout. The spot is Xa, a reef break that’s exposed to the east. Swell is coming from the SSE at 3 ft, with a period of 9 seconds – that’s a decent little groundswell pulse. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSW at just 3 mph, which is practically glassy. The water temp is sitting at 74°, which is pretty average for the time of year, nothing weird going on there. The combined energy is moderate (217), so it’ll have a bit of push. This is the best we’ve got across the whole 16 days. It’s an advanced break, and it’s very consistent, though crowds are possible. For a Sunday morning dawn patrol, this is the one to aim for.

Sunday afternoon goes a bit mushy, and then Monday, July 27th, morning has a tiny 2 ft SSE swell with a long 12-second period. That’s a long period groundswell, which could make it a bit tricky at a reef break, but it’s clean with light wind. The energy is moderate (234), but that wave height is marginal. It’s a “maybe” session if you’re really keen.

After that, we get a long dry spell. From Monday afternoon all the way through to the end of the month, it’s a mess of cross-shore and onshore winds, choppy conditions, and poor surf. Swell direction goes all over the place, and the period drops to short, weak windswell. There’s a brief moment on July 30th morning with a 5 ft NNE swell, but it’s short-period and cross-shore, so it’s just a messy wall.

The next glimmer is on Friday, July 31st, in the morning. We get a light cross-offshore wind and a clean look, but the swell is only 3 ft from the NE with a short 6-second period. The combined energy is low (147). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Not a standout.

The rest of the first week of August looks like a write-off. There’s a small burst of long-period swell on August 5th and 6th from the SE with periods of 10-11 seconds, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, and the energy is moderate to strong (up to 304), but the conditions are poor. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

So, to sum it up: Sunday, July 26th morning is your best bet. Get on it. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or just plain messy. The second week is a lottery with a few promising long-period pulses, but the wind just won’t play ball.

Stay patient, mate.

- Rusty

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