Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m lookin’ at Costa Banderas for the next couple of weeks, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Don’t expect a lot of power, but there’s some real clean windows for the crew who want long, drawn-out lines.

The water is 89°, which is a solid 4° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s much warmer than usual, so you’ll be surfing in a bathtub. It’s a reef break, fairly exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is from the WNW. The swell we’re getting is mostly coming from the SW and SSW, which isn’t a perfect match, but it’s still working.

The best window kicks off right from the start. Thursday morning, September 3rd, is your first real standout. You’ve got a clean 4 ft swell from the SW, with a 10-second period and a light E cross-offshore breeze at 6 mph. The combined energy is 497 (moderate). It’s clean, it’s glassy, and it’s a solid intermediate wave. The crowds here are *sometimes* a problem, but on a Thursday morning with these conditions, you might get a few sets to yourself.

That run of good conditions pushes through the weekend. Friday morning, September 4th, is clean with 3 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and a light NE cross-off at 6 mph. The energy is up to 612 (moderate). Saturday morning, September 5th, is the pick of the bunch for the first week: 3 ft from the SW, 16-second period, and a true offshore wind from the NNE at 9 mph. The energy hits 617 (moderate). It’s a long period swell, so it’ll be better shaped with longer gaps between sets, which is mint for a reef setup. Expect clean, lined-up waves.

Sunday morning, September 6th, is another solid call with 4 ft from the W, 12-second period, and a glassy offshore from the N at only 3 mph. Energy is 607 (moderate). That’s a morning of clean, easy waves.

After that, things get a bit ordinary. The swell drops and the wind turns more cross-shore. There’s a stretch from Monday the 7th through to Tuesday the 15th where the surf is small, inconsistent, and most of the conditions are just average. The combined energy dips into the 200s and 300s (weak to low-moderate). You’ll get a few clean windows, like the morning of Thursday, September 10th, with 3 ft from the SW, 16-second period, and glassy conditions (energy 383, moderate), but it’s not the same as that first weekend. The crowds will be lighter, but the waves are small.

The real dark horse comes at the very end of the forecast. On Thursday, September 17th, the swell goes tiny at 1 ft, but the period jumps to 22 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is back up to 307 (moderate). It’s a reef break, so that long period will wrap in nicely. The afternoon session on the 17th is clean with a cross-offshore wind from the W at 9 mph. Then Friday morning, September 18th, is glassy with 2 ft from the SW, 20-second period, and energy of 332 (moderate). That Friday morning is a real sleeper – it’s over a week away, so it’s promising but less certain, but the setup is there.

Overall, the first weekend (September 3rd-6th) is the best on offer. If you want clean, fun, intermediate waves, that’s your window. The long-range stuff around September 17th-18th could be a treat for the patient crew who love a slow, powerful reeling reef wave.

Rusty.

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