The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

First up, we’ve got a solid pulse of long-period SSW groundswell rolling in, but the early part of the week is a bit tricky with questionable tide and wind combos. Water temps are sitting at 86°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a seriously warm ocean, feels like a bath.

The standout session is Tuesday 28 July morning at The Rock-Costa Azul. Swell is 7ft from the SSW with a very long 16-second period. That’s a proper groundswell with heaps of energy – the combined energy is a hefty 3454. The catch is the wind is light cross-shore from the SSW, so not perfect, but it’s manageable. This is advanced territory; 7ft is too big for beginners. The SSW direction isn’t the optimum S swell, but the sheer size and long period make it the most powerful window. Expect some proper, lined-up sets on this reef.

Tuesday 28 July afternoon sees a drop to 6ft, but the wind swings to a cross-offshore W breeze at 12 mph, cleaning it right up. The energy is still very strong at 3096. This is a great call for the afternoon if you can handle the size – still an expert-only wave.

By Wednesday 29 July, the swell starts to ease. The morning is 6ft but with light cross-shore winds, conditions are marginal. The real gem is Wednesday afternoon – the swell drops to 5ft, but the wind turns offshore WNW at 12 mph, making for clean, lined-up faces. The energy is still strong at 1445. This is excellent for experienced surfers.

Thursday 30 July continues the trend: 4ft in the morning with light cross-offshore winds, clean. The afternoon sees 4ft with a moderate offshore breeze. Both are good, clean waves, but the size is dropping. The energy is moderate now (1132 and 905).

From Friday 31 July through to Monday 4 August, the swell fades fast. We’re talking 3ft down to 1ft. The period drops too, so the waves lose their punch. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday 4 August morning with glassy conditions, but the swell is tiny at 1ft, 15-second period. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything decent.

After that, the size stays small (1ft to 3ft) right through to Monday 11 August. The energy is weak (under 600). There’s a little bump in period on Thursday 6 August (18 seconds) and Monday 10 August (20 seconds), but the swell height is just too small to do much with. The winds are mostly light cross-offshore or glassy at times, so the conditions are nice, but there’s simply no wave to surf.

The best of the second week is probably Wednesday 12 August afternoon – the swell ticks back up to 3ft from the SW, 16-second period, with a light cross-offshore WSW breeze. The energy is moderate at 613. It’s a promising sign, but it’s a long way out, so don’t book your flights yet.

Overall, the first three days (Tuesday 28 July to Thursday 30 July) are the only real window for decent surf. The rest of the 16 days is a flat spell. If you’re a beginner, the 4ft-4ft sessions on Thursday might be okay, but anything over 5ft is too big.

Stay stoked, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty

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