Mundaka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the Basque Country classic.

First off, I’ve gotta be straight with you. For the next couple of weeks, Mundaka is looking pretty flat and sad. The river mouth is barely showing any life. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swells with poor shape and the wrong wind direction. The combined energy of all swells directed here is mostly in the weak range, often under 100 (36, 23, 19, 33). The water is running at 75°F with a 5°F anomaly – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a bit of a surprise, but it doesn’t help the waves.

From Sunday, August 2 through to the morning of Monday, August 17, it’s all “poor surf conditions” with scores of 0 out of 10. We’re looking at tiny waves, mostly 0.7ft to 3ft, with periods under 10 seconds – that’s just weak windswell. The wind is often cross-onshore or onshore, adding chop and messing up what little there is. There’s a brief uptick on Thursday, August 6 with a 3ft swell from the NW with a period of 9 seconds and moderate energy (154 in the morning, 172 in the afternoon), but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy – not worth paddling out for.

The only real glimmer comes on the morning of Monday, August 17. We finally see a cleaner setup: a 4ft NW swell with a 10-second period, combined energy of 207 (moderate), and the wind goes cross-offshore from the SE. That’s the first time we’ve got surfable waves with clean conditions. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – it’s a 1/10, so it’s not a standout, but it’s the best of a bad run. The swell direction from the NW is a good match for Mundaka’s optimum, and the period is solid enough to push some shape down the point. Crowds are “often” here, so expect a few local hopefuls on the same idea.

Bottom line: we’ve got almost two weeks of nothing, then a slight chance on the 17th. If you’re desperate, that Monday morning is your window, but keep your expectations low. This is a tough stretch for the Basque coast.

Rusty.

Read more