The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for The Rock-Costa Azul over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, it’s a bit quiet. We’ve got a south-southwest groundswell filtering in, but the size is only around 4 feet. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, which is messing with the surface a bit—not a dealbreaker, but it’s not clean. The combined swell energy is moderate but fading: from about 1104 on Wednesday morning down to 790 by Thursday morning. The pulse is definitely dropping.

Wednesday afternoon improves a bit with a cross-off breeze from the southwest at 12 mph, but the swell is still only 4 feet and the energy is easing. Thursday looks similar—cleaner in the afternoon, but still small. Friday and Saturday keep the same story: waves around 4 to 4 feet, with periods hanging around 14 to 15 seconds. That long period groundswell will give you some nice lines, but at this size, you’re better off on a longboard or fish. The water temperature anomaly isn’t given here, so I’d say it’s about average for July.

Here’s the standout for the first week. Monday afternoon, 13th July: the swell drops to about 3 feet, but the wind goes light cross-off from the west-southwest at just 6 mph. The surface cleans right up, and the combined energy is 506—moderate, but with that clean face, it’ll be fun. Then Tuesday afternoon, 14th July, is also worth a look: 2 feet of southwest groundswell with an 18-second period. That’s a very long period groundswell, perfect for this reef. The wind is light cross-off at 6 mph. The energy is moderate (551), but the quality will be high for the size. A mid-length or small step-up would be ideal.

The real standout, the one you absolutely want to chase, is Monday morning, 20th July. The swell picks up to 4 feet from the southwest, 16-second period, and the wind goes glassy—just a slight air from the southeast at 3 mph. The combined energy hits 1003, which is strong, and the water will be like glass. This is excellent for experienced surfers. The size is under 5 feet so it’s not too big for intermediates either, but the power from that long-period groundswell will make for proper waves. This reef handles the southwest direction perfectly, and with no wind chop, you’ll be in for a treat. Just know that crowds are often here, so get in early.

After that, things get a bit mixed. Tuesday 21st stays clean with cross-off winds but small swell around 3 feet. Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd see the swell kick back up to 5 to 5 feet, but the winds get stronger—cross-off from the west-southwest at 12 mph on Wednesday and cross-shore on Thursday. The energy is moderate to strong (859 and 681), but it’s not the same quality as that Monday morning. By Friday 17th, a storm system moves in with strong onshore winds and a risk of thunderstorms—that’s a skip day. Saturday 18th stays messy.

For the second week, Sunday 19th July shows some promise: Sunday afternoon with a clean cross-off breeze and a 3-foot southwest swell, long 17-second period. The energy is moderate (837) and it’ll be clean, but nothing compares to that glassy Monday morning.

Bottom line: the first week is small and a bit bumpy, with the best windows on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th afternoons for clean, long-period groundswell. The absolute standout is Monday morning, 20th July—glassy, strong energy, southwest swell with long period. That’s the session to plan for. After that, it gets windier and smaller. The long-range forecast looks promising, but as always, keep checking back in.

Rusty.

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