Playa de Gaztetape Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

First off, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking pretty flat and grim. The first real chance of anything remotely rideable doesn't pop up until Monday, July 20th, and even then, it's a bit of a stretch.

We've got a long dry spell from now until then. Thursday the 16th through Sunday the 19th is all tiny, weak junk. Knee-high slop at best, with periods barely hitting 5 seconds. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, not doing us any favours. There is a couple of glassy mornings on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, but with swell heights of only 1ft to 2ft and combined energy of 16 to 29, it's barely a ripple. Not worth wetting a suit for.

So, Monday, July 20th. The morning brings a tiny spike of hope. The swell nudges up to 3ft from the N, with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy climbs to 98 (weak), and the wind goes glassy, dead off the NNE. The report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," which is pretty much the story. It's a beginner-friendly wave, but you'll be scratching for anything with a bit of push. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no nasty surprises there.

The rest of that week stays marginal. Tuesday the 21st has a 4ft swell from the NNW, but the wind is onshore and the period is still short. It's not great. The real tease comes right at the end of the outlook. On Tuesday, July 29th, we see a jump in energy. The swell holds at 5ft from the WNW, but the period stretches to 8-9 seconds. The combined energy hits 242 (moderate) and then 309 (moderate) by the afternoon. That's the most proper swell of the whole outlook. But the wind? It's onshore from the NNW. That's a crying shame. It's going to be a messy, choppy 5ft. The 30th and 31st look similar – more energy (307, 202) but cross-onshore winds up to 12 mph ruin it. If you're an expert and you're desperate, you might find a lumpy peak, but it's not what I'd call a standout.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is Monday morning the 20th. It's the only window where the wind is truly glassy and the swell is just big enough for a beginner to have a paddle. The consistency is good, and with it being a fairly exposed beach, it'll catch whatever is out there. But keep your expectations on the floor – it's a small, weak wave with a short period, so it won't be a classic.

So, to be honest, the best advice is to wait for a better forecast. The forecast is a bit more reliable for the near-term, and that's the problem – the near-term is flat. That late July swell on the 29th is promising, but it's a long way off, and the wind is looking dodgy. If you're thinking of kiting, there might be some fun in that cross-onshore wind and building swell, but for pure surfing, we're in a dry spell.

Rusty, signing off.

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