Playa de Gaztetape Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the Playa de Gaztetape stretch over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty mixed bag. The first few days are a bit of a write-off for decent waves, with only a fleeting chance on Thursday morning. The real standout window is a good way off, and there's a bit of a wait for it. After a long stretch of nothing much, conditions start to improve right at the end of August and into the start of September.

The water temperature is sitting about average for the time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

Thursday, 20th August – Thursday morning is your best bet in the short term. The swell is a clean 4 ft from the NW, pushing in with about 422 units of moderate energy. We’ve got a light 10 km/h W breeze creating a cross-off wind, which will keep the faces pretty tidy. The afternoon turns more cross-on, and the quality drops off a cliff.

Friday, 21st August – A bit more size on Friday, with the swell kicking up to 6 ft from the NW, and the energy jumps to 667. But the wind is all over the shop – 15 km/h cross-shore and cross-on with rain showers – so it’s going to be choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Saturday, 22nd August through to Wednesday, 26th August – This is a long, quiet spell. The swell drops right off, with tiny waves and poor conditions. There’s a brief moment on Wednesday, 26th with a tiny 3 ft clean swell from the WNW and a light offshore breeze, but it’s barely surfable.

Thursday, 27th August – The swell starts to build again, hitting 6 ft in the morning but the wind is a strong 25 km/h cross-shore, making a mess of it. The afternoon sees a big jump to 10 ft from the WNW with a massive 1373 units of energy, but it's cross-onshore and still pretty raw. This is getting into expert territory only.

Friday, 28th August – A solid 6 ft NW swell with 725 energy, but the wind is cross-shore and then cross-on and strong at 25 km/h. It’s a struggle.

The Standout: Saturday, 29th August – Here we go. This is the pick of the bunch. Saturday morning delivers a clean 7 ft NW swell, with the energy reading 574. But the big news is the wind – it’s glassy. Dead calm. The swell period is a bit short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit on the fat side, but with glassy conditions and that size, this is going to be a fun morning. Be aware, 7 ft is getting up there for beginners, but for the experienced crew, it’s game on. Crowds are possible at this spot.

Sunday, 30th August – Another good morning. The swell backs off a touch to 5 ft from the NW, but again, glassy conditions with a light 5 km/h SSE breeze. The energy is 379. This is a solid, clean runner-up.

Monday, 31st August – Yet another glassy morning! Swell is 5 ft from the NW, and the wind is a light offshore from the ENE at 5 km/h. The energy is 327. A very clean, very surfable option.

Tuesday, 1st September through to Friday, 4th September – The run of quality continues with consistent 5 ft to 7 ft NW swell but the wind is more variable. The mornings look the best. Friday, 4th September is particularly promising, with a 5 ft NW swell, 389 energy, and glassy conditions. It’s a long way out, but it’s one to keep an eye on.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a real struggle. The best surf is tucked away in the last few days of the month and the first days of September. The standout is the Saturday, 29th August morning session – glassy, solid NW swell, and clean. Don't miss it.

Rusty out.

Read more