Plentzia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what the Basque coast has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. It’s a quiet start, so don’t be in a rush to get the wetsuit on just yet. We’ve got a long wait for the real action, but when it comes, it comes with a bit of promise.

First up, there’s nothing worth paddling for on Saturday the 22nd. We get a tiny 4ft NW swell at Plentzia, but the model spits out a score that tells me it’s just not happening. The water is sitting at a balmy 75°, which is a good 5° warmer than usual for the time of year – the ocean’s got a bit of an extra layer of warmth on it, which is noticeable. The whole stretch from the 22nd right through to Friday the 28th is a write-off. There are about six days there where you’re better off waxing your board indoors. Swell heights are tiny, periods are short, and the wind is mostly messy. You’ll see a few numbers on the board, but trust me, it’s not worth the paddle.

Hold on, because things change on Saturday morning, the 29th of August. That’s the first real standout. We’ve got a 7ft NW swell rolling in with a 10-second period. The wind goes glassy – absolute silence from the ESE at just 3 mph. It’s going to be clean, lined up, and the combined energy reading is a solid 962, so there’s proper grunt in the water. That’s well into the expert zone at that size, so this one is for the crew who know what they’re doing. The afternoon holds at 7ft with a gentle NE cross-off, staying clean. Saturday the 29th is the pick of the first week.

Then we get a bit of a drop-off. Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st are surfable but ordinary – 5ft and 2ft respectively, with glassy mornings but nothing that’ll get the heart racing. The week rolls through to the 3rd of September with mostly small, average conditions.

But here’s the second call. Mark Thursday the 3rd of September in your calendar. Thursday morning delivers a 7ft NW swell with a very long 13-second period. The wind is glassy again, from the WNW at just 3 mph. That kind of period means real groundswell energy, with better-shaped waves and longer lulls between sets. The combined energy is massive at 1395, so there’s plenty of power. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook. The afternoon stays punchy at 7ft but a light cross-onshore creeps in, so the morning session is the one to chase. Keep in mind, that long-period NW groundswell can get a bit straight at a beach setup, but with glassy conditions, it should still run nicely.

After that peak, the forecast gets sketchy again. Friday the 4th and into the weekend shows a drop-off in quality with onshore wind and rain showers. The swell stays chunky (8ft on the Saturday), but it’s wrapped in a 22 mph onshore blow, which turns it into a washing machine. That kind of setup at a beach is more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

So to wrap it up: the first week is mostly a snooze, but Saturday the 29th of August and Thursday morning the 3rd of September are your two clear windows. The 3rd has the edge for quality and that long-period juice. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

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