Zicatela Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s take a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks. The main spot is Zicatela, and it’s a real mixed bag—some absolute gems if you time it right, but also plenty of flat or windy spells to work around.

The water temp is pretty much normal for this time of year—nothing to write home about.

We start off slow. The first real standout is Wednesday morning, August 19th. Zicatela is looking at some fun, clean waves with 4ft of SSW groundswell, a 15-second period, and glassy conditions out of the SSE at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 592. This is your best early session—clean, groomed, and a good bit of push.

Thursday and Friday mornings are a bit smaller, around 3ft to 3ft, but still glassy or light winds. The swell on Friday morning is short period, only 10 seconds, so don’t expect a lot of power. These are more for the longboard crowd.

Saturday morning, August 22nd, brings 3ft, glassy calm, and combined energy climbing to 421. Still a short period swell, but it’s a clean, fun morning.

Then we hit a quieter stretch. Sunday morning, August 23rd, has a super-long period groundswell of 18 seconds at 2ft, with glassy conditions. That long period will make the waves stand up fast and the sets will be spaced out, so it’s quality over quantity. Energy is moderate at 729.

From Monday through to the end of the week, the surf stays small—around 2ft to 2ft—with mostly glassy mornings. The swell holds that long period, 16 to 18 seconds, so you’ll have clean, lined-up waves, just with long waits between sets. Good for a quiet paddle.

Now, the action picks up. The week of August 28th onward, the swell starts to build. Friday morning, August 28th, has 4ft of SW groundswell, 16 seconds, and glassy conditions. The energy jumps to 825—moderate to strong. This is a really promising morning.

Saturday, August 29th, the swell pushes to 5ft, still SW at 16 seconds, with a cross-offshore ESE breeze at 9 mph. The waves will be reasonably clean, but the size is getting up there—good for intermediates, too much for beginners. Energy is strong at 1312.

Sunday, August 30th, morning, still 5ft of SW groundswell, 14 seconds, and a light cross-offshore wind. Clean conditions again. The energy is strong, and the waves have some proper grunt.

Then, on Wednesday morning, September 2nd, we get a classic Zicatela morning: 3ft of SW groundswell, period 17 seconds, glassy calm. That’s a magic window for clean, long-period lines. The energy is moderate at 795, but that long period will make every wave count.

The real standout, though, is Thursday morning, September 3rd. The swell is 5ft from the SW, period 16 seconds, glassy conditions, and the combined energy is a strong 1210. This is the best session of the whole run. For experienced surfers, this is the morning to circle. The wind is dead calm, the swell is solid, and the period is long enough for proper groundswell power.

Just remember, the afternoons are often blown out by onshore winds or hit by storms, so mornings are your window. And Zicatela can get crowded, especially when it’s good, so be ready to share the peak.

All in all, clean small surf early on, then a great run of bigger, more powerful swells from August 28th through to September 3rd. The best of the best is that Thursday morning, September 3rd—don’t miss it.

Rusty

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