Mundaka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about Mundaka.

It's a tough outlook for the Basque Country's famous river-mouth wave. Right now, we're looking at a long stretch of small, weak swell with poor wind conditions. The problem is, for the next week and a half, the swell is tiny—mostly under 3ft, with periods of only 5-6 seconds, which is just windswell, not proper groundswell. The combined wave energy is very low, often well under 100 (20-105), meaning there's just not enough power in the water to get a proper wave at Mundaka.

On Thursday the 16th, we've got a clean morning, but the swell is a meagre 2ft from the NNW, cross-on from the NW wind. It's just not enough. The next few days, from Friday 17th through to Sunday 19th, are much the same: tiny, inconsistent, and mostly cross-onshore. The glassy conditions on Saturday morning the 18th sound nice, but with only 1ft on offer, it's a lake, not a surf. We're basically looking at a blank run for the first week, with no real surf to recommend.

There's a flicker of hope on the morning of Monday the 20th. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the N, with a period of 6 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. The energy climbs to 138 (moderate), and it's the best-looking window in the whole forecast. But even then, the conditions are described as "very ordinary" and the period is still too short for a wave of Mundaka's quality to really stand up. We'll need a bigger groundswell than that.

The middle of the week (21st-24th) sees the swell drop back down below 3ft, with persistent onshore and cross-onshore winds. It's a struggle.

Things get more interesting towards the end of the month. On the mornings of Monday the 28th and Tuesday the 29th of July, the swell picks up to 4ft and 5ft respectively, from the NW, with a better period of 8-9 seconds. The energy climbs to 147 and then 238 (moderate). The wind is still cross-onshore, but lighter, which is a major positive. The swell direction is also from the NW—the optimum direction for the break. This is the standout period. It's a week away, so hold onto that promise, but this is the time to be watching. On Wednesday the 30th, the swell holds at 4ft from the NW, but a fresh W winds of 16 mph will make it a cross-shore mess.

So, the honest truth: the next week is a write-off. The only real standout is the morning of Monday the 20th, for a small, clean wave, but it's not a classic Mundaka. The real hope is the last few days of July, promising a decent NW groundswell, but it's a long-range call, so keep your fingers crossed. For now, the kite surfers might get a look in on the windy days, but for paddling, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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