Zicatela Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright groms, Rusty here. Let’s break it down. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Zicatela, kicking off this Saturday morning, July 25th. The swell builds through the weekend, peaks early next week, then fades. The standout window is the Monday to Wednesday stretch, with the absolute best being Monday morning, July 27th.

Starting Saturday morning, July 25th, the water temp is about average for this time of year. We’ve got a clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 21-second period. The wind is calm, glassy. The energy is moderate at 972, but the quality is going to be absurd. A perfect warm-up.

Sunday morning, July 26th, the swell is building to 5ft from the SSW with an 18-second period. Getting glassy with a light ENE breeze. Energy is jumping to 1749. This is intermediate territory, but it’ll be high-quality.

Monday morning, July 27th, is the pick of the forecast. The swell is 6ft from the SSW with a 17-second period. Calm, glassy wind. Energy is a strong 2214. This is excellent, powerful surf. It’s getting into the size where beginners should be careful, but for the experienced crew, this is the session. The break is exposed to the SSW swell, which is exactly what the guidance says to look for.

Tuesday morning, July 28th, is almost as good. We’ve got 7ft SSW swell, a 17-second period, and glassy conditions with a light ENE breeze. Energy is a very strong 2463. This is expert territory at that size, but the quality is there. Get it early before the afternoon wind.

Wednesday morning, July 29th, the swell is still solid at 6ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period. A light cross-offshore breeze from the ESE keeps it clean. Energy is 1824. Another fantastic morning for the advanced crew.

Thursday morning, July 30th, the swell drops to 5ft SSW with a 14-second period, energy is a solid 867. It’s glassy with a light ESE breeze, making for a fun, clean morning that’s a bit more user-friendly.

Friday morning, July 31st, the swell is backing down to 4ft SSW with a 13-second period. Glassy conditions with a calm NE wind. Energy is 704. A good, clean morning for a longboard.

The first weekend of August, the 1st and 2nd, the swell is well down. Saturday morning, August 1st, has 3ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and glassy conditions, but energy is only 428. Sunday is smaller. Not a write-off, but a smaller window.

The following week sees a lull. Monday morning, August 3rd, has a tiny 3ft swell with a 15-second period and glassy conditions. It’s a lovely morning, but the waves are small. The rest of the week is very small, with energy in the 100s and 200s. Friday morning, August 7th, shows a little pulse of long-period groundswell (3ft, 18 seconds) with glassy conditions, giving a moderate 546 energy. That’s a promising but less certain long-range possibility.

So, to sum it up: the best of the best is Monday morning, the 27th, with Tuesday morning a close second. The early mornings from Saturday through Wednesday are all worth paddling out for. The afternoons get chopped by onshore wind, so make it a dawn patrol. There’s a few days with no real surf between the end of July and the start of August, but that’s pretty normal for the area. Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

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