Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight – the next couple of weeks around Costa Banderas are looking small, but there’s a bit of life hiding in the second week if you’re patient.

Right now, we’re coming off a flat patch. The first real chance of a wave shows up on Thursday the 4th of August. It’s tiny – 1 ft of southwest swell with a long 12-second period, but the combined energy is weak at 65. Not gonna get anyone out of bed. Still, early morning is glassy and the water is a balmy 89°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a bath.

Through the rest of the first week and into the second, it’s pretty ordinary. Swell stays between 1 ft and 2 ft, mostly from the SSW/SW, with periods that bounce around but nothing that’ll light up the reef. You get clean windows here and there – like Friday the 7th morning with light ENE airs and a little 1 ft, 18-second SSW groundswell (combined energy 197) – but it’s lacking any real push. Most afternoons get a cross-off breeze from the NW or WNW, which keeps the surface tidy, but the waves are just too small to get excited about.

There’s a real gap in quality here, but then we hit a standout window starting Friday the 14th of August. Friday morning brings 2 ft of SW swell at a very long 18 seconds, combined energy at 365 – moderate but building. Winds are light off the NE, cross-off, and the water is clean. Friday afternoon is the pick, with 3 ft SW at 17 seconds, energy jumping to 474, and a solid cross-off from the WNW. That’s the best on offer – small but clean, with shape from the long-period SW groundswell suiting this reef break beautifully. It’s worth a paddle if you’re keen for some fun, lined-up waves. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so get in early.

Saturday the 15th maintains it: 3 ft SW, 16 seconds in the morning with glassy NE airs and a combined energy of 367. By afternoon it’s still clean but the tide might be messing with it a bit. After that, the swell fades again through Sunday and Monday back to 2 ft-2 ft, with only average conditions.

For beginners, anything over 5 ft is a push – we don’t get there, so it’s all doable for a learner if you’re happy with knee-high foam. Experts will be bored unless you’re after a longboard glide on those long-period SW lines.

So, overall: the first week and a half are mostly forgettable – lots of ordinary surf and no real push. The standout is Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of August, with clean, cross-off winds and building 3 ft to 3 ft SW groundswell at very long periods. That’s your window. It won’t be pumping, but it’ll be fun.

Rusty.

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