Nova Mar Bella Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight, mates. I’m looking at the full 16-day window for Barcelona, and I gotta be honest with you: it’s pretty grim. The first few days are a complete write-off, just flat or near-flat with barely a ripple. We’re looking at a gap of about four or five days where there’s genuinely nothing to ride. The only spot in the game is Nova Mar Bella, a breakwater setup that’s a beginner’s spot, but right now, even the beginners are gonna be sitting on the sand.

The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 80°, which is about 2° above average. That’s nice for a swim, but it doesn’t help the surf.

We finally see a tiny pulse of life on the Friday morning of the 4th of September, with a teeny 0.7ft swell from the S and a period of just 3 seconds. That’s pure windswell, no energy behind it. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the W, so it’d be clean, but there’s just nothing to ride. The energy reading is a 1 (weak). It’s not worth paddling out.

The next tiny bump comes on the Monday morning of the 7th of September, with a 1ft swell from the ENE, period still a pathetic 3 seconds. The energy jumps to a 3 (weak). The wind is a light cross-onshore from the E, so it’s a bit of a mess. Still nothing doing.

The first slightly interesting, and I mean *slightly*, moment is the Thursday morning of the 10th of September. We get a 3ft swell from the SSW with a period of 5 seconds. That’s still short-period, but that energy reading hits 36 (weak). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean. For a breakwater like Nova Mar Bella, 3ft is about as good as it gets for a small wave, but it’s not going to be powerful. It’s a maybe for a longboard on a quiet morning. Crowds are possible here at times, but with conditions this poor, it might be empty.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. We get a few more days of 0.7ft to 1ft dribble with onshore wind, including a bit of rain and a storm risk on the 12th. The Friday morning of the 18th of September shows a 2ft swell from the SSW with a 5-second period and an energy reading of 22 (weak). The wind is dead calm, glassy. That’s pretty, but again, the wave size is tiny.

The Friday afternoon of the 18th of September actually has the biggest swell of the whole forecast: 3ft from the ENE with a period of 5 seconds and an energy reading of 40 (weak). Unfortunately, the wind swings to a light cross-onshore from the south, so it’ll be a bit bumpy.

So, the best on offer? There isn’t a true standout. If I had to pick one, it’s the Thursday morning, 10th of September at Nova Mar Bella. The 3ft SSW swell with clean, cross-offshore wind is the best combo of size and conditions we get. It’s not a standout by any stretch, just the least bad option. The Friday morning, 18th of September with the glassy conditions is a close second, but the swell is smaller. Honestly, for the whole 16 days, you’re better off checking the forecast again next week. The setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer on those days with any wind.

Rusty.

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