Xa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Thursday 27 August – Friday 28 August

Alright, listen up. The surf’s actually on for Thursday morning at Xa. It’s a reef break, and it’s firing with a solid 6ft of SSE swell, period way up at 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, lots of energy behind it. The combined energy is strong, sitting at 1498, so there’s real power in the water. Wind’s glassy out of the WSW at just 3 mph, which is about as clean as it gets. Water temp is 72°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you’ll feel it if you’re used to warmer. This one’s for experienced surfers only, it’s advanced and super consistent, so if you’re not confident, give it a miss. Thursday afternoon stays clean with light cross-off winds, swell drops slightly to 5ft, still excellent.

Friday morning, the swell backs off to 4ft, period drops to 13 seconds, but the wind swings north at 9 mph and goes cross-shore. It’s more marginal – there’s some bump on it. Not terrible, but not the clean lines of Thursday. By Friday afternoon, the wind picks up to 16 mph from the NE and it’s cross-on, choppy. That’s when I’d call it a write-off.

Saturday 29 August – Monday 31 August

From Saturday through Monday, it’s a bit of a dead zone. The swell is there – around 4ft to 7ft – but it’s short-period ENE windswell, only 6-7 seconds, and the wind is cross or cross-on at 16-22 mph. It’s lumpy, messy, and honestly, not worth your time. The combined energy drops into the low hundreds, so there’s just no push. This stretch is poor. If you’re a paddle surfer, stay home. If you’re into kitesurfing, the strong cross-onshore wind and that choppy surf might actually look more interesting, but for a surfboard, it’s a no.

Tuesday 01 September – Wednesday 02 September

Tuesday sees the swell pick up again – 6ft in the morning, 8ft by afternoon – but the period is still short at 8 seconds, and the wind is fresh and onshore. It’s lumpy and messy. Not good. Wednesday morning brings a bit of relief with lighter winds from the south at 6 mph, but the swell drops to 4ft and it’s cross-shore with ripples. Marginal at best. Wednesday afternoon the wind swings SSW at 19 mph, cross-off, which cleans it up, but the swell is only 3ft. Small and weak.

Thursday 03 September – Friday 04 September

Thursday stays small – 3ft – with moderate cross-off winds. Clean but weak, nothing to get excited about. Friday morning is where it gets interesting again. The swell jumps to 5ft from the SE, period only 6 seconds, but the wind drops to glassy from the east at 3 mph. It’s clean, but that short period means it’s going to be a bit sectiony, not the long walls you’d want. Still, it’s surfable. Friday afternoon the swell fades to 3ft and the wind goes cross-on, so that’s that.

Saturday 05 September – Monday 07 September

Another stretch of poor to marginal surf. The swell is around 4ft to 5ft, but the period is short, and the wind is cross or cross-on at 12-19 mph. Choppy, lumpy, not worth the paddle. The combined energy is low, under 400, so there’s just no grunt.

Tuesday 08 September – Wednesday 09 September

Tuesday morning is light wind from the NNE at 6 mph, cross-shore, with 5ft NE swell at 7 seconds. Marginal. Tuesday afternoon the wind goes SE at 6 mph, cross-on, and the swell builds to 7ft but it’s still short-period. Poor. Wednesday morning is clean with light NNE winds, 6ft ENE swell at 8 seconds, but it’s cross-shore with ripples – just okay. Wednesday afternoon, the wind goes onshore from the east, 7ft NE swell, and it’s messy.

Thursday 10 September – Friday 11 September

Thursday morning is actually decent – light cross-off winds from the SSW at 6 mph, 5ft ENE swell at 8 seconds, and it’s clean. The combined energy is moderate at 405, so there’s a bit of push. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best we’ve seen in a week. Thursday afternoon the wind swings SSE at 9 mph, cross-on, and it gets choppy. Friday morning is light cross-shore, 4ft NE swell, marginal. But Friday afternoon – that’s the one to watch. The wind drops to glassy from the SE at 3 mph, swell 4ft ENE at 7 seconds, and it’s clean glass. Small, but super clean. Worth a session if you’ve got a board that suits small waves.

Overall

The standout of the whole period is Thursday 27 August morning – that’s the one with the real power and the clean glass. After that, it’s a lot of average to poor conditions, with a few small windows of clean surf around Friday 04 September morning and Friday 11 September afternoon. The long-range stuff is promising but less certain, so don’t book your week around it. Keep an eye on the wind, and if you get a day where it’s glassy, take it – they’re few and far between in this stretch.

Rusty.

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