Playa de Barrika Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, gather round. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the charts for this stretch of coast.

Honestly, mate, it’s a pretty grim run for the next few days. Playa de Barrika is a sheltered reef that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and right now it’s suffering from a real lack of decent swell and a lot of cross-onshore wind. The water is a very unusual 76°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only heat you’ll find.

Friday the 24th is a write-off. Nothing but tiny, wind-affected slop with a combined energy of only 43 (weak). The wind builds through the afternoon, and it just gets uglier. The whole weekend, from the 25th and 26th, is a mix of increasing swell but poor conditions. The wind is fresh and cross-onshore, making it lumpy and choppy. There’s some size there, with waves up to 7 ft on Saturday afternoon, but the quality is terrible. For a beginner, anything over 5 ft starts to get intimidating, and this is messy. It’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddling one.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up Monday afternoon, the 27th of July. The morning is still cross and messy, but by the afternoon, the wind swings to a gentle offshore from the NE, cleaning things right up. The swell is 5 ft from the NNW with a period of 10 seconds, giving a combined energy of 427 (moderate). The surf quality is expected to be good. It’s not a standout in the sense of epic size, but it’s the first clean window we get.

After that, the surf drops off again. Tuesday the 28th is surfable but very ordinary, and then from Wednesday the 29th all the way through to the end of the first week, it’s back to small, weak, and mostly cross-onshore, with combined energy dropping below 100 at times. There are some glassy periods on the 30th and 31st of July, but the waves are tiny, around 2 ft to 3 ft, and not enough to get excited about.

Now, the one true standout on the entire 16-day forecast is the first weekend of August. Saturday the 1st of August is still a bit small, but by Sunday the 2nd, everything clicks. Sunday morning brings a 5 ft swell from the NW with a period of 11 seconds, light offshore wind from the E, and a combined energy of 493 (moderate). The surf quality is expected to be good. Sunday afternoon is even better, with the same size but a longer period of 12 seconds, pushing the combined energy up to 549. The wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping it clean. This is the best bet on offer.

Monday the 3rd of August gets a bit bigger, with 6 ft swell, but the wind swings back to a cross-onshore, killing the quality. The period is still good at 11 seconds, but it will be messy. After that, the second week fades back into small, weak, and mostly cross conditions, with combined energy rarely getting above 100. The best of the rest is Tuesday afternoon the 4th of August, which is surfable but ordinary.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a struggle. The pick of the entire forecast is Sunday the 2nd of August at Playa de Barrika. It’s the cleanest, most consistent window with a decent 5 ft groundswell, good direction, and light winds. Keep your eyes on that one.

Rusty.

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