Playa de Gaztetape Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this out there. It’s a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, so let’s break it down.

The long-range picture shows some potential, but we have to wade through a fair bit of mediocrity first. The water here at Playa de Gaztetape is sitting at 74°F, which is *much warmer* than usual for this time of year. That’s a real bonus, so don’t sleep on the warm water even if the waves aren't firing every day.

For the next few days, it’s pretty grim. Tuesday and Wednesday are poor, with light cross-onshore winds and small, weak surf. The energy is weak, coming in at only 180, and the waves are all over the place. Think of it as a good time to check your gear and maybe have a paddle.

Thursday morning (the 10th) finally shows a flicker of life. The wind goes glassy with an ESE breeze, and there’s a clean-looking 4ft of NW swell with a 10-second period. The combined energy ticks up to 355. It’s not huge, but by our standards, that’s the first real chance to get a few clean ones. The afternoon looks a bit more cross-onshore, so the morning session is the one to chase.

Then we hit a flat spell again. Friday and Saturday are small and weak, with the energy dropping back into the 60s and 80s. There are waves, but they’re pretty ordinary, and the wind messes with them. It’s a classic “check the buoy, see it’s flat, go have a coffee” kind of stretch.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Sunday the 13th is the standout. We’ve got a proper pulse of long-period groundswell, with a 5ft swell coming from the NW at a solid 13 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 802, which is a serious amount of power. The morning is glassy with a dead calm wind. This is what we live for. The break will have some push, and that long period will wrap in clean. It might be a bit too much for the absolute beginners, but for everyone else, this is the session to circle. The afternoon stays good but gets a little onshore, so get out early.

Monday the 14th follows up nicely, with a similar, but slightly smaller, 5ft swell at 12 seconds and 537 energy. Morning glass again, so it’s another solid option. After that, the energy backs off again through the middle of the week. We’re looking at small swell, mostly in the 2ft to 3ft range, and the winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore. It’s not good.

There is a bit of a tease on Saturday the 19th with a long-period (14s) but very small swell, and then a bit more size on Sunday the 20th with chest-high waves, but the open windows with clean conditions are limited. The winds are light and variable, which is better, but it will be a bit of a battle to find a clean one. The energy is moderate, around 420-495, so it’s not nothing.

The final few days of the window don’t offer much. The swell drops out again, and we’re back to small, weak, and messy conditions. The 23rd sees a bump in period to 14 seconds, but the swell is small and onshore winds kill it.

Bottom line: There are only a couple of true standouts in this whole 16-day run. The first, and the best of the lot, is Sunday morning, September 13th. Get on it. The second is Monday morning, September 14th, which is not far behind. Remember, these long-range calls are promising, but the closer we get, the more confident we can be. The rest is mostly a waiting game, but with that warm water, it’s not a bad one to wait in.

Stay stoked.

Rusty

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