Zicatela Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin’ at ya from the coast.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a solid stretch of surf on the way here at Zicatela. The water is sitting at 88°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home. The swell energy is moderate to strong, hitting 818 (combined energy) on the first morning.

We kick things off on Friday morning, July 10th. The swell is a consistent 4ft from the SSW, with a 15-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell, so expect nice, lined-up waves with longer waits between sets. The wind is glassy from the WNW at just 3 mph, making for a clean, smooth surface. This is a standout morning for intermediate surfers. Friday afternoon sees the wind swing onshore and a risk of thunderstorms, so the quality drops right off.

Saturday morning, July 11th, is another beauty. Glassy conditions with a dead calm wind, same 4ft SSW swell. The water is clean as a whistle. Afternoon brings a cross-onshore breeze, so stick to the early session.

Sunday morning, July 12th, holds more glassy conditions with a slight SE breeze, swell easing to 4ft. It’s still very good. The afternoons start to get chopped up with cross-shore winds, so mornings are your window for the next few days.

Monday and Tuesday, July 13th and 14th, the swell drops a bit, down to 3ft and then 2ft, but the mornings stay glassy. The 17-second period on Tuesday morning is very long, so the waves will be powerful but straight at this beach break – keep that in mind.

We hit a bit of a lull from Wednesday the 15th through to Saturday the 18th, with mornings offering clean but small surf in the 2ft to 3ft range. The energy is low, with values around 281 to 557. It’s still fun for a log, but nothing to race for.

Now, mark your calendars for Monday, July 20th. This is the real standout. We’ve got a 4ft SSW swell jumping up to a massive 1101 combined energy, with a 16-second period. The wind is glassy from the WNW at 3 mph. The data says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best session in the whole outlook. Make sure you’re out there early.

After that, Tuesday the 21st is still very good with a glassy morning and 4ft swell. The energy drops gradually through Wednesday and into Thursday the 23rd.

Thursday the 23rd morning is interesting – glassy calm with 4ft from the SSE, but the period is only 10 seconds, so it’s a shorter-period wind swell. Still clean.

Then on Friday, July 24th, we get the biggest swell of the forecast: 8ft from the SE with a short 8-second period, and the energy is a monster 1452. This is for experts only. Glassy morning winds make it look tempting, but that size and short period mean heavy, dumpy waves. Only paddle out if you know what you’re doing.

Saturday morning the 25th is a bit smaller at 5ft, still from the S, with a dead calm wind. A good clean session to finish off the run.

So the top picks are Friday the 10th morning, Saturday the 11th morning, and the absolute standout: Monday the 20th morning. Get on it.

Stay safe, keep your stick on the string, and I’ll see you in the lineup.

Rusty.

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