Costa Nova Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Costa Nova is the only game in town for this forecast, so let’s have a look at the next 16 days.

The long-range picture is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a lot of onshore and cross-shore wind messing things up, but there are a few windows where it all comes together. We get a little bit of swell early on, but the real standout is waiting for you in the second week.

Tuesday the 8th isn't much to write home about. A 4ft WNW swell (combined energy 296) is there in the morning, but the cross-shore wind from the NNW puts a bit of a chop on it. The afternoon drops to 3ft (168) and gets choppier. The mid-week from Wednesday the 9th through Friday the 11th is a write-off. We get a push of NW swell, hitting 6ft (427) on Wednesday morning, but the wind is up and it’s messy. The period is short, under 8 seconds, so it’s just lumpy, sloppy stuff.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday morning, the 12th of September. The wind goes glassy out of the east, and even though the swell is only 5ft from the NNW (250), it’s clean. That’s a good surf. But the real standout is Sunday morning, the 13th. This is your session. The wind is glassy from the ESE, and we get a bigger, longer-period groundswell. 4ft from the NW with a 13-second period (combined energy 659). That’s a long-period swell, so it’s going to have more push and shape, especially at a beach/jetty setup like Costa Nova. The sets will be better spaced, making the paddle out easier. This is the best morning on offer. The afternoon gets ruined by the wind, so get it while it’s glassy.

Monday the 14th morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 4ft NW swell (437), a solid second option. The following week is a story of early mornings or nothing. Tuesday the 15th morning is a small 2ft glassy wave (156), fun for a longboard. Thursday the 17th morning is another big one if you’re an experienced surfer. A 7ft NW swell (1070) with clean offshore breeze from the ENE. That’s a powerful wave, over 8ft, so it’s for experts only. The energy is very strong. Friday the 18th morning is also clean with a 6ft NW swell (531) and a light cross-offshore wind. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th mornings are both clean and offer smaller, fun waves in the 3ft to 4ft range.

The last few days of the forecast, from the 21st, get messy again. The swell gets big, up to 7ft (1531) on the 22nd, but the wind is howling at 22 mph to 28 mph. That’s not a surfing setup; that’s a kite-surfing setup. Don’t bother.

So, to wrap it up: your top pick is Sunday morning, the 13th of September for the long-period glassy groundswell. The back-up is Thursday morning, the 17th of September for the big, clean, expert-only swell.

Rusty, signing off.

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