Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.

Costa Banderas is looking pretty quiet for a while. This reef break is consistent, but the swell energy is on the weak side through most of the outlook, with combined energy numbers mostly below 200 until late in the run. Water temp is 89° right now, which is 4° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a big anomaly, so expect bathwater conditions.

Sunday 16 August kicks things off with surfable but very ordinary waves. Morning has a 3ft SW swell at 14 seconds, combined energy of 257 – moderate but nothing exciting. Wind is light cross-off from the NE at 6 mph, so it’s clean. By afternoon, the swell drops to 2ft, wind shifts to a light WNW cross-off, still clean but small. Not much to write home about.

Monday 17 August is a total loss. Swell holds around 2ft, but wind goes cross-on from the ESE in the morning, and by the afternoon we’ve got a fresh 19 mph SW cross-on with thunderstorms. Choppy and poor. Stay on the beach.

The rest of the week stays small and ordinary. Tuesday through Thursday sees swell dropping to 2ft and then 2ft, combined energy falling from 145 down to 109. Winds are mostly light and variable – a glassy moment on Thursday morning with 2ft SW swell at 14 seconds, but it’s tiny. Friday and the weekend are even smaller, with 1ft swell and combined energy under 100. A few clean windows pop up, but the lack of size kills any real interest.

We’ve got a big gap in quality surf from Monday 17 August all the way to Friday 28 August – over a week of marginal to poor conditions, with only occasional surfable windows.

Things finally turn around on Saturday 29 August morning. A clean 3ft SW swell at 16 seconds rolls in, combined energy jumping to 389 – moderate to strong energy for this spot. Wind is light cross-off from the ENE at 6 mph, so it’s clean. This is the standout window. The swell direction (SW) works well for this fairly exposed reef, and the period is solid. It’s not too big for intermediates, but not really for beginners – just a nice little groundswell.

Sunday 30 August morning holds some clean 2ft SW swell, but energy drops back to 242. Still surfable, but not as good.

Into the final days, the swell stays small and conditions are mixed. Thursday 27 August morning offers a glassy 1ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period – that’s groundswell, but tiny. That long period will make it better on the reef than a beach break. Friday 28 August sees a slight uptick to 2-2ft, clean conditions, and combined energy climbing into the 200s, but still not a standout.

So the real highlight is Saturday 29 August morning – that’s your best shot. The rest of the run is small, clean at times, but mostly ordinary. If you’re into kiting, those afternoons with cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions might be more your speed.

Rusty.

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