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July 16, 2012

ISA World Masters Surfing Championship Forecast – Updated July 16


Brief Overview: Mainly fun sized southern hemi energy is expected for Nicaragua over the next few days. The S/SSW swell from the weekend will ease through midweek as a new small, but longer period SW swell gradually fills in. Minor W/WNW energy from Tropical Cyclone Fabio is also expected through the middle of the week. Stronger SW groundswell is lining up for the end of the event. Offshores are expected through most of the contest.

Forecast Outlook 

TUESDAY 17th
Swell/Surf: Fading S swell mixes with new small, but longer period SW swell and minor W energy to produce 3-4’ (waist to chest high) surf with head high ranged sets during best tides.
Wind: ENE 5-13kts. Occasional higher gusts during the late morning and early afternoon hours.

WEDNESDAY 18th
Swell/Surf: Dominant SW groundswell mixes with small, underlying S and W swells to produce 3-5’ (waist to head high) surf. Slightly overhead sets during best tides.
Wind: ENE 5-13kts. Occasional higher gusts during the late morning and early afternoon hours.

THURSDAY 19th
Swell/Surf: Dominant SW swell continues to produce 3-5’ (waist-head high) surf. Slightly overhead sets during best tides.
Wind: ENE 9-16kts. Stronger gusts over the late morning/early afternoon hours possible, then easing late day.

FRIDAY 20th
Swell/Surf: Southern hemi mix in the 3-4’ range (waist to chest high). Shoulder to head high sets during best tides.
Wind: ENE 7-15kts. Occasional higher gusts during the morning and early afternoon hours.

SATURDAY 21st
Swell/Surf: Rising SW swell with 4-5’ (shoulder to head high) surf. 1-2’ overhead sets developing late.
Wind: ENE 6-15kts.

SUNDAY 22nd
Swell/Surf: Stronger SW swell with 5-7’ surf (head to 2’ overhead). Developing well overhead sets (~8’ faces) through the day, strongest late.
Wind: ENE 5-13kts.

Forecast Discussion:
Swell/Surf: We are expecting a mix of fading, short-mid period S (195-180) and rising, small but longer period SW (220-210) swell over the next several days. This leaves lots of waist-shoulder high surf for Tuesday through Thursday. Head to slightly overhead sets are expected during best tides, especially Wednesday and Thursday. Mainly small/fun sized southern hemi mix is expected to continue into Friday.

Further out, we are still expecting a stronger pulse of SW (220-205) swell to fill in as we move through the end of the weekend, thanks to a recent strong storm that pushed out from under New Zealand late last week. This swell looks good for head to overhead surf, with well overhead sets expected to develop during Sunday. Stay tuned as we continue to track this swell through the Pacific.

Wind/Weather: Primarily light to moderate offshore ENE winds are expected over the next several days, mostly in the 5-15kt zone except slightly stronger over Thursday and Friday. Occasional higher gusts are possible especially during the late morning and early afternoon afternoons before winds diminish a bit late in the day. While its hard to rule out a passing shower and thunderstorm this time of year in the tropics, current indications are that rain chances will remain fairly low with the offshore wind pattern that has been in place. As such, we expect rain chances to be in the 20-30% range through the period. Any showers that pop up will be capable of temporarily impacting winds and surf conditions.

Next Update: Friday, July 20th


The Nicaragua ISA World Masters Surfing Championship is made possible with the backing of the following sponsors: Nicaragua Tourism Institute, Gray Line, AmericanAirlines, Canal 13, Amnet, Hacienda Iguana, Taca, VOS TV, Municipalidad de Tola, Flor de Caña, INISER; the following cosponsors: Movistar, Dollar, Alamo, Comité Olimpico Nicaragüense, Hilton, Nuevo Diario, Guacalito, Condor, Servipro, Aqua Spa, CDNN canal 23, Nicasurfing; and the following supporters: Surfari Charters, Corona, Paso Pacifico, Renisa, Parmalat, Credomatic, Cruz Roja, Pantaleon, Canatur. The media partners are Pasión Xtrema, SurfersVillage and Surfos. The Official Forecaster for the event is Surfline.

About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running the Open Division World Championship since 1964, the World Junior Surfing Championship since 1980, the World Masters Surfing Championship since 2007, the World Bodyboard Championship since 2011, and the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival in China and the World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship beginning in 2012. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the World Tandem Surfing Championship.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 71 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA´s four Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER), Debbie Beacham (USA) and Layne Beachley (AUS).

More on www.isasurf.org

About Gray Line Tours Nicaragua
Gray Line Tours is a leading tour operator in Nicaragua, and is affiliated with Gray Line Worldwide, which provides tourism services around the world. The company offers complete services in accommodation, transportation, tours, as well as the organization of congress and incentive travels (DMC). It offers quality and professional services, as well as personalized attention to its clients 24 hours a day.

Gray Line offers competitive rates and a wide range of products from nature and cultural packages to surfing and adventure programs. International surfing competitions in Nicaragua have been possible since 2010 thanks to Gray Line Nicaragua efforts.