Mundaka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the Mundaka region over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’ll get the bad news out of the way first. Looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a grim picture. The conditions are just not cooperating. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf ahead, with no real standouts to speak of. The first decent-looking surf doesn’t even appear until Wednesday, 29th July, and even then, it’s only just surfable.

Let’s run through it. From Monday, 20th July, right through to Tuesday, 28th July, the story is the same: weak, short-period swell and wind that’s either cross-on or onshore, making for choppy, messy conditions. The combined energy is low, mostly in the 28 to 170 range, which is weak. The water temperature is a notable 76°F on the Monday, which is 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year – very unusual. But you won’t be enjoying that warm water because the waves are a write-off.

There’s a bit of a pulse on the weekend of the 26th and 27th, with swell heights getting up to 6ft to 8ft, but the wind is strong cross-shore, and the energy jumps to 753 (moderate) on the Sunday afternoon. That’s not surfable for a paddle; that’s kite-surfing territory. The setup is a beach-and-reef mix, so with that strong cross-wind and lumpy chop, it’s just not for paddle surfing.

The only glimmer comes on the morning of Wednesday, 29th July. The wind goes glassy from the NW, and we get a 3ft swell from the NW with a period of 9 seconds (groundswell). The energy is still weak at 108. The report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s a 1 out of 10. For a wave like Mundaka, a river mouth, that long-period groundswell can be a bit tricky, prone to breaking straight, but with glassy conditions, it’s the only time you could even paddle out. The crowds will be a problem though, as it’s often packed here.

After that morning, it’s back to poor surf again for the rest of the week and into early August. The swell stays small, between 2ft and 4ft, and the wind is never right. There is simply no good surf on offer in this entire 16-day forecast.

That’s the long and short of it. It’s a frustrating run, but it’s how it goes sometimes. Hang in there.

Rusty

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