La Zurda Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for La Zurda is a real test of patience. There’s no big swell, no pumping days, just a long, drawn-out run of small, mediocre conditions. You’ll be waiting a good stretch with very little to get excited about.

The first proper surfable waves show up on Monday afternoon, 20th July. It’s tiny, with a 1ft south swell, but the period’s a solid 12 seconds, so it’s got a bit of long-period groundswell character. The combined energy is weak, only 60, so don’t expect much push. The big plus here is the wind – glassy, dead calm. The water’s sitting at 85°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. It’s surfable, but very ordinary.

Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd are a write-off – poor surf conditions, tiny waves, and nothing worth paddling out for. Thursday 23rd is even worse, with the swell dropping to 0.3ft briefly. A real low point.

The first hint of a pulse arrives Friday morning, 24th July. The swell bumps up to 1ft from the SSE, with a very long period of 24 seconds. Combined energy climbs to 127 (moderate). The winds are glassy early, and the wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s not a standout, but it’s the best we’ve seen. Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th keep similar small SSE swell, with periods dropping from 21 to 19 seconds, and mostly glassy or clean conditions. The combined energy hangs around 116 to 168 – still modest. These are the pick of the bunch, but only if you’re desperate for a paddle.

Monday 27th July through to Wednesday 30th July maintain the same theme: 1ft south or SSE swell, periods between 15 and 19 seconds, and combined energy between 73 and 170. Winds are mostly offshore or cross-offshore, keeping the surface clean. It’s consistent, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. The setup is a reef break, so those long-period swells might actually line up okay, but the size is the killer.

There’s a brief uptick on Tuesday 4th August – the last day in the window. The swell hits 2ft from the south, with a 14-second period and combined energy of 102. The wind is glassy. It’s surfable, but again, it’s just ordinary. After that, it drops back to nothing.

The standout moment? Honestly, there isn’t one. The best on offer is probably the Friday 24th morning session, with the glassy start and that rare 24-second period, but it’s still only 1ft. For advanced surfers only at this spot, a reef break, and with crowds possible but not guaranteed, you might get it to yourself. But for beginners, anything over 5ft is too big, and we never get there – so it’s safe, but boring.

Overall, it’s a long, flat run. The combined energy figures are weak to moderate at best, and the scores are all low. The only saving grace is that La Zurda is fairly consistent, so this blank run feels like a bit of a cruel spell. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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