Playa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the only game in town for the next couple of weeks: Playa Azul.

Right off the bat, the water is sitting at 88°F – that’s more than 3°F warmer than normal for this time of year. Feels like a bath out there, so a thin wetsuit or just boardshorts is the call.

We’ve got a solid run of waves coming through, but the quality is going to be a real mixed bag because of the wind. The first few days are the kicker. Don’t even bother paddling out this afternoon (Wednesday, July 8th) – the 5ft SSW swell is getting chopped up by a 9 mph cross-onshore wind. The energy is pumping (1087), but it’s a mess.

The real standout, and the best bet on offer, is Thursday morning, July 9th. We’ve got glassy conditions with a light N wind at 3 mph, and that 4ft groundswell from the SSW (period of 15 seconds) will be reeling off clean. The energy is still strong (871), and with the water flat, it’s going to be a session to remember. Get out there early, because the afternoon turns into a crumbly, choppy cross-on mess again.

The same pattern repeats for Friday, July 10th – a glassy morning with 0 mph wind and 4ft of clean SSW swell. It’s a bit smaller but still a great window for a longboard or a funboard. The afternoons are a write-off.

Look, for the first week, it’s all about the early bird. The mornings from the 9th through the 13th are consistently clean with light offshore or cross-offshore winds and swell holding between 3ft and 4ft (SSW). The energy stays in the moderate to strong range (500-900). The crowds are listed as "sometimes," so you might see a few others out, but nothing crazy.

Saturday, July 11th morning is a good call with clean conditions and a 4ft SSW swell. But the afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-on wind, so keep an eye on the sky.

Now, into the second week, things get interesting again. Wednesday, July 15th has a small window of clean 4ft swell from the SSE in the morning, but the period drops to 9 seconds – short period, more of a wind swell vibe. The setup is okay, but not as good as the previous week.

Thursday, July 16th is a major highlight. Both morning and afternoon are looking solid with 5ft to 5ft of S/SSW swell, clean cross-offshore winds, and moderate energy (768-840). This is the best swell size of the run, and with the right wind, it’s a solid intermediate to advanced wave. Because it’s a long-period groundswell (12 seconds), it’s going to be a bigger, more powerful wave at the point.

Friday, July 17th is another winner. 5ft to 5ft of clean SSW swell, with glassy conditions in the afternoon. That afternoon session is a gem.

After that, the swell drops off significantly. Saturday, July 18th has a tiny 1ft wave in the morning – glassy, but barely enough to ride. The rest of the run from the 19th to the 23rd is small, with 2ft to 4ft of swell. There are some clean windows in the mornings, especially Monday, July 20th afternoon (clean 4ft SW), and Tuesday, July 21st morning (clean 4ft SW), but the energy is dropping. It’s still surfable for a log or a funboard, but the punch is gone.

Overall, this is a solid run for Playa Azul. The window is wide open. The absolute best is Thursday, July 9th and Friday, July 10th mornings for the glass and the long-period groundswell. For a bit more size, Thursday, July 16th and Friday, July 17th are the standouts in the second week. Don’t sleep on those early sessions.

Rusty.

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