Costa Banderas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a decent little window coming up at Costa Banderas, but don’t go planning your whole month around it just yet.

The action kicks off on Sunday morning, the 26th of July. We’re looking at a clean 3-foot SW groundswell rolling in with a period of 18 seconds. That kind of period is serious, it’s a long-period groundswell, so think proper lines and plenty of energy between sets, which makes the paddle out a bit easier. The water temperature here is sitting at 89°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus in the tropics. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the ENE, so the face should be pretty smooth. The combined swell energy is moderate at 487, so there’s some grunt there. For the experienced surfer, that’s a solid early morning option.

Sunday afternoon takes a turn though. The wind swings to the WSW and goes cross-on, and while the swell stays the same, the conditions get messy. Not your best bet unless you like fighting chop.

Monday the 27th is where things pick up. The morning sees the swell bumping to 4 feet from the SW, period still a strong 17 seconds, with light ENE cross-off winds. Clean, building energy – the combined energy climbs to 661. Then Monday afternoon, it gets even better. The swell hits 4 feet from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and the wind from the W at 9 mph holds cross-off. The combined energy jumps to 732 and it’s looking very good. That afternoon session is the standout for the first half of the week.

Tuesday the 28th keeps it alive. Morning brings 4 feet of SW swell, 17 seconds, light ENE breeze, and the combined energy peaks at 943 – that’s the highest in the whole run. That is strong wave energy, it’s going to feel punchy out there. The break is a reef, so it should handle that power. Afternoon fades a bit with a cross-shore wind and a drop in quality.

Wednesday the 29th offers a clean 3-foot SSW swell in the morning and a very good afternoon with WNW wind holding cross-off. Not as big as Monday or Tuesday, but still tidy.

Now, from Thursday the 30th onward, the consistency starts to fade. The swell drops and the winds get tricky. We get a couple of glassy moments early on Friday the 31st of July and again on Saturday the 1st of August, but the swell is down to 3 feet and 2 feet respectively. The energy levels are dropping – 429 and 279. It’s still surfable for the patient surfer, especially in the glassy conditions, but the juice is going out of it.

From Sunday the 2nd of August all the way through to Monday the 10th of August, it’s a long stretch of small, weak surf. Swell heights stay below 2 feet, periods drop, and the combined energy mostly sits under 200, sometimes under 100. That’s weak energy. There are a few clean mornings here and there, but with waves that small, it’s really only for the longboard or the foamie. For several days in a row there’s nothing really worth recommending.

The best call? Get on it Sunday morning the 26th for that clean, long-period groundswell, and definitely don’t miss Monday the 27th afternoon or Tuesday the 28th morning – that Tuesday morning with 943 combined energy and clean conditions is the standout of the whole outlook.

Keep your eyes on the sky too – there’s risk of thunderstorms on some of the better mornings, so don’t get caught out.

Rusty.

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