Barinatxe - La Salvaje Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Barinatxe - La Salvaje (Basque Country).

To be honest, mate, it’s a tough run ahead. We’re looking at a long stretch of barely-there surf and onshore winds for the next couple of weeks, with not a single day scoring high enough to call a true standout. The water is sitting at 73° on the first day, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, about 6° above average, so at least the paddle out won’t feel cold.

Right off the bat, Monday the 6th of July has nothing. Clean-looking morning but the swell is tiny at 2 ft from the NW, period 9 seconds, and the combined energy is a weak 53. Wind is light cross-off early, but surf is poor. The whole first week is a write-off – tiny waves, mostly cross-on or onshore wind from the NW, and energy readings barely hitting 100. The swell just doesn’t have any push.

We do get a little glimmer on Saturday the 11th of July. The morning session shows glassy conditions with a light NNE breeze, 2 ft from the WNW, period 8 seconds, and energy at 84. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon goes back to cross-on and poor. That’s as good as it gets for the first week.

The second week doesn’t improve much. Monday the 13th of July has the biggest swell of the period so far at 4 ft from the NW, period 8 seconds, and energy climbs to 177 (moderate). But the wind is cross-on and the surf quality is still poor. Over the following days, the swell drops right back to 1 ft and 1 ft, with glassy conditions on Wednesday the 15th of July morning, but the waves are too small to get excited about.

Then we hit Friday the 17th of July. The afternoon brings a sudden jump in swell to 5 ft from the NW, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is a moderate cross-on from the NW, making it choppy. Energy hits 226, but the quality is poor. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The weekend of the 19th of July offers the biggest swell of the whole forecast. Sunday morning has 7 ft from the NW, period 7 seconds, and energy at 507 (strong) – but the wind is a moderate cross-on from the WNW, making it lumpy. The afternoon keeps the same 7 ft from the NW with period 8 seconds and energy at 573 (very strong), but again it’s onshore and poor. At this size, with onshore wind, it’s expert-only and messy. Monday the 20th of July stays similar, with 5 ft to 5 ft and moderate cross-on wind, still poor.

In short, there’s no good surf on offer in this 16-day window. The swell is either too small, too short period, or blown out by onshore winds. The few bigger days come with poor conditions. It’s a blank run for the area, and while forecasts can change, right now you’re better off checking back later.

Rusty.

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