Zicatela Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s your old mate Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got one main spot firing over this period, and from the get-go, it’s looking like a solid run of waves.

The forecast kicks off on Tuesday, July 21st, with a nice little pulse. The early morning is pure magic – glassy conditions, calm air, and a clean 4ft SSW groundswell with a very long period of 15 seconds pushing in. The combined energy is a healthy 778 (moderate wave energy), and the water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year. This is a morning for the intermediate surfer to get amongst it at Zicatela. The swell direction is a perfect match for what this spot likes.

That first session is the real standout early on. The afternoon picks up a light onshore breeze and the quality drops off, so make the most of that glassy morning.

Wednesday the 22nd still has clean 3ft SW swell in the morning, also glassy, with a period of 13 seconds. Energy is down a touch at 373, but still a nice little session. Thursday morning the 23rd is again glassy, with a smaller 2ft SSW swell and 13 second period (221 energy). It’s clean but small.

Now, hold onto your board. Friday morning the 24th is where things start to get interesting. A 3ft SW groundswell rolls in with a very long period of 24 seconds. The energy is moderate at 942, and it’s glassy. This is a serious groundswell, and at Zicatela, a point break setup, that long period is going to line up beautifully. This is a real standout session.

Saturday morning the 25th is another cracker. Swell bumps up to 3ft from the SSW, period a very long 21 seconds, and the energy jumps to 1193 (strong wave energy). Glassy conditions. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The crowd factor is “sometimes” around here, so it could get a bit busy for those good waves.

Sunday morning the 26th keeps the good times rolling with 5ft SSW swell at 18 seconds, energy at 1682. Glassy. This is now pushing into the size that’s better for the experienced crew, and the quality is excellent.

Monday the 27th is bigger again – 6ft SW swell, 18 seconds, energy at 2101 (strong wave energy). Glassy in the morning. This is proper, powerful groundswell, and it’s only for those who know what they’re doing. The afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and a light onshore breeze.

Tuesday the 28th sees the swell peak at 7ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, and energy hits 2471 (strong wave energy). The morning has a clean cross-off breeze from the ESE. This is big, powerful, and for experts only. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-shore wind.

The swell stays solid through the end of the week. Wednesday the 29th morning is glassy with 6ft SSW swell at 16 seconds, energy 1558. Thursday the 30th morning is calm and glassy, 6ft SSW, 14 seconds. Friday the 31st has a morning cross-off breeze and 5ft SSW swell, with the afternoon cleaning up again. The combined energy sits around 850-1200 across these days, so the moderate to strong energy levels are still there.

Heading into the first week of August, the swell slowly drops. Saturday the 1st has a glassy morning with 4ft SSW swell, 13 seconds, energy 595. Sunday the 2nd morning is clean with a cross-off breeze, 3ft SSW swell. Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are smaller, glassy mornings with 3ft and 2ft swells, and periods around 13-14 seconds. The energy drops under 500. Wednesday the 5th has a small 4ft S swell with a short period of 9 seconds, clean in the morning. It’s not the same quality as the earlier run.

Overall, the best windows are the glassy mornings from July 21st through to the 25th, and again from the 24th to the 28th for the bigger, expert-only stuff. The standouts? That Friday morning the 24th and Saturday morning the 25th are the true gems of this outlook – long period, glassy, firing Zicatela. The later part of the week gets bigger and more powerful, so keep your wits about you.

Rusty.

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