Zicatela Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on the menu for Zicatela.

We’ve got a solid run of surf spread across the next couple of weeks, though the first proper green light doesn’t kick off until Tuesday morning. The opening days have some iffy afternoon winds and choppy conditions, so we’re going to be picky about when to paddle out.

Tuesday morning (September 1st) is actually a decent start. Swell is 4ft from the SSW, with a long 13-second period and glassy conditions thanks to a light WNW breeze. The water is sitting at 88°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Combined wave energy is moderate (564).

Wednesday morning (September 2nd) is a miss—cross-shore winds and only a 2 out of 10 score internally make it a scratch session.

Now, Thursday September 3rd is where it gets interesting. Morning brings 3ft of SW groundswell at an 18-second period, glassy calm winds, and a combined energy reading of 1043 (moderate). That’s a long-period groundswell, which for a beach break like Zicatela can sometimes run a bit straight, but the conditions are clean. This is for experienced surfers—the swell is under 5ft but the period is long, so expect power.

Friday September 4th morning is the real standout of the first week. 6ft from the SW, 17-second period, glassy with easterly winds, and combined energy soaring to 1922. That’s strong energy. This is a big, powerful groundswell. Zicatela handles this size well, but at 6ft this is getting into intermediate-to-expert territory. Crowds are sometimes an issue here. The wind is dead calm—absolutely perfect. This is the session to circle.

Saturday September 5th morning is similar—6ft, 16-second period, glassy—though the energy drops slightly to 1614. Still a fantastic morning, but a touch less oomph than Friday.

Sunday September 6th morning holds 5ft at 15 seconds, glassy, energy at 1057. Good, but the afternoon gets a cross-onshore chop.

The following week sees a gradual drop in size. Monday September 7th morning is clean 4ft, Tuesday September 8th morning drops to 2ft but with an 18-second period and glassy—small but clean. Wednesday September 9th and Thursday September 10th mornings both offer clean conditions, with Thursday pushing back up to 5ft and moderate energy (1062).

The second week has a few more marginal afternoons, and the mornings are mostly on the smaller side. Friday September 11th and Saturday September 12th mornings are light cross-onshore and weaker. Sunday September 13th morning is small at 3ft, glassy—okay for a longboard.

We finish with Tuesday September 15th and Wednesday September 16th mornings showing promising 3-4ft swells with glassy or calm winds, moderate energy, and solid consistency.

Overall, the best on offer is Friday September 4th morning—6ft SSW groundswell, 17-second period, glassy calm, and strong wave energy (1922). If you miss that, Thursday September 3rd morning is the next best for cleaner, smaller, but very long-period conditions. The rest of the fortnight has plenty of clean morning windows but nothing that matches that Friday pulse.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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