Ilbaritz - Marbella Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at this stretch. We’re talking about Ilbaritz – Marbella and the next couple of weeks. Straight up, the next week and a half is a tough watch. We’ve got tiny, weak slop with onshore winds messing things up day after day. It’s a pretty grim run until we get to the final few days of July.

The water is sitting at a very warm 77°F – that’s a massive 9°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so definitely a big anomaly.

Okay, breaking it down. From Tuesday the 14th through to Saturday the 26th of July, the surf is pretty much a no-go. Swell heights barely crack 2ft most days, the period is short and weak (mostly 4-8 seconds), and the winds are cross-on or onshore. There are a couple of brief windows of glassy conditions – like the Thursday morning the 16th and Wednesday morning the 22nd – but the swell is so tiny (only 1ft to 2ft) and the energy is low (as low as 19 to 30) that it’s barely worth paddling out for. A few morning looks clean but with nothing to push you around.

The first real glimmer of hope arrives on Monday the 27th of July. That morning we see a proper pulse of swell: 6ft from the NW with a solid 11-second period. The energy jumps to 726 – that’s a serious step up. Winds are glassy from the north, so the surface will be clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook. The sets will have some punch, and that long period means you’ll get some proper shape off the reef. It will be on the bigger side, so definitely one for the intermediate crew.

The surf holds into Wednesday the 29th of July morning. Another glassy dawn with 5ft of NW swell at 9 seconds. The energy is still strong at 433. It’s a little shorter period than Monday, so not quite as clean a line-up, but the conditions will be a treat with no wind. This is your second best window.

Unfortunately, after those morning windows, the afternoons both days get wrecked by a strong cross-onshore wind and the quality drops right off.

So, to sum it up: the first 12 days are a write-off for any decent surf. Your only real chance to score is on the morning of July 27th, with the morning of July 29th being a decent backup. Keep an eye on the wind for those – a change in the afternoon breeze could spoil it, but the mornings look worth a go.

Rusty

Read more