Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Right now, Costa Banderas is running on fumes. It’s a consistent reef that gets fairly exposed, but the first surfable recommendation doesn’t pop up until Tuesday afternoon – so we’ve got a quiet gap from today until then. Over the whole 16-day run, things do pick up a little in the middle, but never huge.

Sunday 13 September – morning has a 2 ft SSW swell (13 sec period), cross-off NE wind at 3 mph. Combined energy is 151 – weak. Water temp is 89°, which is 4° warmer than normal – very unusual. Surfable but ordinary. Afternoon stays flat with 2 ft SSW and NW cross-off at 9 mph.

Monday 14 September – morning: 1 ft SW swell (18 sec, long period), NE cross-off at 3 mph, energy 151. Tiny. Afternoon goes cross-shore W wind at 9 mph – poor.

Tuesday 15 September – morning still poor with 2 ft SSW swell (16 sec), E cross-shore at 3 mph. Afternoon lifts slightly: 2 ft SW swell (16 sec), WNW cross-off at 3 mph, energy 285. Clean but small.

Wednesday 16 September – glassy morning, 2 ft SW swell (16 sec), NE wind at 3 mph, energy 273. Clean. Still not big.

Friday 18 September – morning: 1 ft SW swell (19 sec, very long period), ENE cross-off at 3 mph, energy 220. That long period will help shape on the reef, but it’s tiny.

Saturday 19 September – glassy morning with SE wind at 3 mph, 2 ft SW swell (18 sec), energy 257. Surfable.

Here’s the standout:

Sunday 20 September – glassy morning, ESE wind at 3 mph, 2 ft SW swell (19 sec), combined energy 323 – moderate energy. Good surf conditions. Afternoon holds cross-off W wind at 6 mph, 2 ft SW swell, energy 268.

Monday 21 September – this is the best. Glassy morning, ESE wind at 3 mph, 3 ft SW swell (17 sec), combined energy 379 – the highest energy of the whole forecast. Cross-off WNW wind at 6 mph in the afternoon, same 3 ft swell, energy 365. Clean, consistent, and around waist-to-shoulder high. The swell direction (SW) matches the optimum (WNW) fairly well for this reef. Crowds are possible sometimes here.

Tuesday 22 September – glassy morning again with 3 ft SW swell (16 sec), E wind at 3 mph, energy 317. Afternoon gets a cross-shore W breeze at 9 mph and becomes marginal.

From Wednesday 23 September onward, the swell drops back to 2 ft or less, periods shorten, and energy fades into the 150-220 range. A few glassy mornings pop up (Sunday 27 September – 2 ft SW, 12 sec, glassy NE wind, 180 energy) but nothing special. The final Monday 28 September sees a 2 ft SW swell with NW wind at 16 mph – that breeze will mess it up.

Best bet: Monday 21 September – glassy morning, 3 ft SW swell, the biggest wave height of the run and the highest energy. Beginner friendly size, clean conditions, and the reef will handle that long period well.

Rusty.

Read more