Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, let’s see what’s on the menu. It’s a bit of a slow starter for Costa Azul, but the back half of this forecast has some serious potential. The first few days are pretty average—small, onshore, choppy mess. But hold onto your board, because from the 28th of August onwards, things start to get very interesting.

Saturday the 22nd isn't worth getting out of bed for. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the SSW, a 16-second period, but the wind is a cross-on from the S at 6 mph. The wave energy is weak (393), and the water is a balmy 89°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. Sunday and Monday are more of the same: small, cross-shore chop, and a lot of average conditions. The combined energy ticks up a bit on Monday morning (488), but it’s still a 4ft, short-period 9-second swell from the SSE, so it’s not going to be any good.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Monday afternoon, the 24th. The swell drops to 2ft, but the wind goes cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, and the period is a proper 17 seconds. It’s clean (691 combined energy). It’s small, but it’s a start.

Tuesday morning, the 25th, is a standout for the early week. The wind goes glassy, 3 mph from the S, and we’ve got a 5ft SW groundswell with an 11-second period. That’s clean, with a big jump in energy to 905. It’s the best quality condition we’ve seen. The afternoon is a bit onshore, but the morning window is the one to aim for. The water is still that warm 89°F, 6°F above normal, so it’s a proper tropical bath.

The rest of the week is a write-off until we hit Friday the 28th. That afternoon, watch out. We’ve got a 5ft SSW swell with an 18-second period, the wind is a clean cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, and the energy is pumping at 1495. This is excellent for experienced surfers. It’s a powerful, long-period groundswell, so it’ll be better on the points and reefs than the beach, but it’s the real deal. Saturday the 29th afternoon keeps the quality going, with a 5ft SSW swell, 15-second period, clean cross-off wind, and energy at 1019. Not as big, but still very good.

Then there’s a bit of a lull for a few days, but hold on. The first of September brings a big jump. Tuesday afternoon, the 1st of September, we’re looking at a 7ft S swell with a 13-second period, cross-off wind from the W at 9 mph, and a hefty energy of 1982. That’s clean and powerful, but at 7ft, it’s getting into the expert-only zone for most. The swell direction is from the S, which is close to the optimum SSE direction.

The real monster, though, is Thursday the 3rd of September. Thursday morning has a 8ft S swell with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 3314. Wind is light from the SE, so it’s onshore, but the Thursday afternoon shows a 6ft SSW swell with a 19-second period—that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is still enormous at 3283. The wind is a cross-shore from the SSW, so it’s a bit choppy, but the raw power is there. This is a true stand-out for the whole 16-day forecast. It’s a big, long-period SSW swell that will be firing on the points. After that, Friday the 4th holds solid, with swells around 6ft and energy over 4000, but the wind turns onshore from the SSE, so the quality drops. The weekend of the 5th and 6th of September is a no-go with strong onshore winds.

Bottom line: The best windows are Tuesday morning the 25th of August for a clean, glassy, smaller session, and then the big stuff from Friday the 28th of August afternoon through to Thursday the 3rd of September. The 3rd of September is the standout for size and power, but it’s for experienced surfers only. The crowds are a possibility here, but with that quality, it’s worth the company.

Rusty.

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