Mundaka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right on, let’s get into what’s cooking here. The forecast for Mundaka (Spain) is giving us a long stretch of pretty quiet conditions, but there’s a couple of moments that might get the heart racing. For the first week, things are flat and messy for the most part, so you’re going to be doing a lot of waiting at the cliffside. The real interest, and the only standout I can point to, comes in the second week around Thursday the 20th of August, when a decent pulse of groundswell shows up.

Alright, let’s start at the beginning. From now, the 13th of August, right through until around the 19th, the surf is really disappointing. The swell is tiny, with heights mostly around 0.7ft to 2ft, and the combined swell energy is weak, reading between 13 and 117. The winds are a problem too, often cross-onshore or cross, so it’s chopped up and messy. You’ll get the odd glassy moment on the 18th and 19th when the wind drops to almost nothing, but there’s just no swell to work with. It’s going to be a blank run of about a week with no real surf on offer. The water temperature is 75°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, about 5° above the long-term average, so at least the wait will be comfortable.

Now, the one true standout here is when we get to Thursday the 20th of August. That morning, we see a pulse of swell jump up to 6ft coming from the NW. The period is a solid 12 seconds, which makes this a proper groundswell, giving the waves more shape and energy, with longer gaps between sets. The combined swell energy jumps right up to 862 (moderate-to-strong energy). The wind is cross-onshore from the NW at 9 mph, so it’s not perfectly clean, but for this spot, that’s a workable wind direction. That swell direction of NW is right in Mundaka’s sweet spot for its optimum direction. This is the best on offer, but mind you, with the swell over 5ft, it starts to push beyond beginner territory, and the sets will have some push to them. This is an expert wave on its best day, and the crowds are often, so you’ll have company. The quality is still only described as marginal due to questionable tide conditions, so time it right.

After that, the swell backs down again. Friday the 21st still has some 5ft waves, but the energy is lower at 424, and the wind stays cross-onshore. By the following week, the 25th of August, we see another spike with an 8ft wave reading, which is purely for experts at that size, but the combined energy is a thumping 989 (still moderate-to-strong), though the period drops to 9 seconds and it’s a strong onshore wind, making it a messy proposition. The rest of the outlook after that fades into small, choppy conditions again.

So, to wrap it up: sit tight through this first week of flatness. The only real window to look forward to is Thursday the 20th of August, when Mundaka might just have some decent, pushy waves if the tide cooperates. Don’t hold your breath for anything else.

Rusty.

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