Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, giving you the lowdown for Costa Banderas in the terms you Yankees use.

We're looking at a pretty quiet outlook for the first week or so. The water is sitting at 89° right now, which is a good 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – it's like bathwater out there. The early days are all about small, clean but unremarkable surf. Those first few mornings from Saturday the 11th through to Tuesday the 15th are seeing tiny waves, only 1ft to 2ft, with a long-period SSW swell. The energy is low, with the combined swell energy reading between 119 and 203. It's glassy or light offshore, which is nice, but you're really just floating around. The wind is light and cross-offshore for most of these, so the surface is clean, but there's just no push.

Then we hit a bit of a gap. Thursday the 16th afternoon sees a jump in energy to 309, but the wind turns cross and the conditions get messy. Friday the 17th morning is a write-off with a cross-onshore wind and a messy 4ft swell. The afternoon of Friday the 17th is the first real glimmer of hope. The swell picks up to 5ft from the SW, and the wind is cross-offshore. The energy jumps to 554, and the forecast says "expect good surf conditions."

The standout of the whole window is Saturday the 18th. The morning session is the pick of the bunch. We're looking at 5ft of swell from the WSW, with a period of 13 seconds, and a light cross-offshore NE wind. The combined energy is a solid 758, and the forecast is for "very good surf conditions." This is the one to circle on the calendar. It's a reef break that's consistent and fairly exposed, so it should handle that swell well. The Saturday afternoon is still decent at 4ft, but the morning is the winner.

After that, the swell backs off a touch through Sunday and Monday, but the conditions stay clean with light offshore or glassy winds. We get another small window of 5ft swell on Tuesday the 21st morning with glassy conditions, which is worth a look. The following week, around Friday the 24th, we see a pulse of 5ft to 6ft SW swell, but the wind is a bit more cross, so it's not as clean. The morning of Saturday the 25th offers 5ft from the west with a light cross-offshore breeze, which is another solid option.

Overall, the first week is a slow burn for small waves. The best bet is Saturday the 18th morning, with a close second for the morning of Tuesday the 21st. The later part of the month has some size but the winds are less reliable. Keep your eyes on the 18th.

Rusty

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