Playa de Arrigunaga Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. This is a tough one for the Basque coast. I’m looking at a long, quiet spell ahead, so let’s not sugar coat it.

For the most part, we are looking at a lot of flat, washed-out, or just plain messy conditions across Playa de Arrigunaga. The water is sitting at 75° right now, which is over 4° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s pretty noticeable, feels like a warm bath out there.

The first solid window of opportunity doesn’t really show up until much later in the period. The first bit of hope comes on Sunday, 25 August, Tuesday morning. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the NW with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is moderate (336), and the wind is dead calm—glassy as it gets. That’s the standout session. It’s still only a "fair" score but compared to everything else, it’s the best we’ve got.

Now, leading up to that, it’s grim. From now until then, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. We’re talking 12 days of mostly flat or small, choppy junk. Thursday morning (13 August) sees tiny 1ft waves from the WNW, 10-second period, but the energy is weak (45), and it’s marked as poor. That theme continues day after day. The swell barely nudges above 3ft until the 23rd, and when it does on the 24th (Monday morning), it hits 8ft from the NW with a period of 8 seconds. That’s got some grunt (802 energy), but it’s also got a 12 mph onshore wind predicted for the afternoon. That’s messy and too big for beginners—better left for the experienced crew, and even then, quality is questionable. A 8ft wave with onshore wind and a short period is going to be a wall of whitewater.

If you’re an experienced surfer and desperate, you could look at that Tuesday, 25 August, morning window. The swell drops to 5ft, period is 9 seconds, direction is NW, and we get glassy conditions. That’s a proper, clean, surfable wave for intermediate to experienced surfers. It’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest window in a very dry forecast.

There’s one more blip on the 28th (Friday afternoon) with a 4ft NW swell and 8-second period (209 energy), but the wind is onshore at 9 mph, making it pretty average.

Overall, it’s a rough ride for the next two and a half weeks. Mostly small, short-period swell, poor wind, and a lot of days where you’re better off just having a coffee and watching the horizon. The single best bet is that Tuesday, 25 August morning glass-off. Be there early.

Rusty.

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