Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, settle in. We’ve got Costa Banderas as the only spot on the cards for the next 16 days. It’s a reef break, fairly exposed to the west-northwest, but it’s a consistent wave. The water is sitting at a very unusual 89°F – much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be surfing in bathwater.

For the first week, from Tuesday the 15th through to the end of the week starting the 20th, it’s a pretty average run. Swell is hanging around a small 1ft to 3ft from the SW, with a long period of 14 to 19 seconds. That long-period groundswell will produce some nice lines at this reef, though the wave energy is only moderate (284 down to 223 in the early days). The real issue is the wind. Most mornings offer a light offshore or glassy feel – Tuesday the 15th, Wednesday the 16th, and Friday the 18th start clean – but the afternoons get a cross-onshore breeze that kills the quality. Thursday the 17th and Saturday the 19th are pretty ordinary. The standout in this first week is Sunday the 20th morning: glassy conditions, a clean 2ft SW swell, and moderate energy (323). It’s small, but it’ll be silky.

The second week rolls in with more of the same small, clean mornings but messy afternoons. Monday the 21st morning is the highlight here – glassy, 3ft SW swell with moderate energy climbing to 383. Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 23rd mornings are rideable but nothing special. Then we hit a bit of a lull mid-week: the energy drops to weak levels (around 170-180) from the 24th to the 26th, with small 2ft to 2ft surf. Surfable but flat-looking.

Then, here’s the real promise – the tail end of the forecast. Monday the 28th morning bumps up to a clean 4ft SSW swell, moderate energy (443), and a light offshore. That’s nice. But the true standout is Tuesday the 29th morning: a solid 6ft SW swell, very strong energy (1075), and offshore wind. That’s expert-only territory – too big for beginners – but for the crew who can handle it, that’s the session of the window. Wednesday the 30th morning is even bigger at 6ft with a WSW direction and offshore NNE wind, and the energy hits a massive 1282. That’s a proper groundswell pulse. Just keep in mind, long-period swells over 15 seconds (like we see earlier) tend to race a bit at beach breaks, but at this reef, they’ll offer long, lined-up walls.

If you’re early in the fortnight, pencil in Sunday the 20th morning. If you can wait, the 28th, 29th, and 30th mornings look like the real deal. Crowds are possible at Costa Banderas, so get there early for the glassy windows.

Rusty.

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