The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the coming weeks for The Rock-Costa Azul. It’s a solid reef set-up that needs the right swell direction, and we’ve got a run of south-west groundswell on the way, mostly with that long period energy that really makes this place light up. The water’s sitting at a very warm 87°F, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year – that’s a good five and a half degrees above what you’d expect, so it’s gonna feel like a bath out there.

The forecast kicks off on Wednesday the 12th of August with a clean, cross-off breeze from the west-southwest. Swell is 3ft from the SW with a 16-second period, giving moderate wave energy (477). It’s not big, but it’s pure and lined up. The afternoon’s the pick with that offshore groomer, but be aware there’s a risk of thunderstorms hanging around.

Thursday the 13th sees the swell holding at 3ft, but the real standout is Thursday afternoon. The wind swings westerly and goes offshore, the period stays at a solid 15 seconds, and the combined energy bumps up to 698. That’s the best session on offer early on: clean, peeling reef waves with that long period push. Crowds can be an issue here often, but when it’s that good, everyone knows it.

Friday the 14th brings a bigger pulse. The afternoon sees 5ft of SW groundswell at 17 seconds, with combined energy hitting 1223 – solid moderate wave energy. The wind is cross-off from the west-southwest, keeping it clean. This is a proper swell. 5ft isn’t huge, but on a reef with that period, it’ll have plenty of power. Still manageable for experienced surfers, not yet too big for a confident intermediate.

Things stay in the 4ft to 5ft range over the weekend, with mostly cross-off or clean conditions. Saturday the 15th afternoon is another winner: 4ft from the south-southwest, 16-second period, light cross-off breeze from the southwest, combined energy 852. Clean and consistent.

The second week gets smaller. From Monday the 17th through to Thursday the 20th, you’re looking at 2ft to 3ft of SW swell, with periods still hanging around 14-16 seconds. The afternoons generally offer cross-off winds and clean faces, but the energy drops into the 400-500 range. It’ll be fun, lined-up reef waves for a good surfer, just not the punch of the first weekend.

From the 21st of August onward, it gets really marginal. Swell drops to 2ft to 3ft, periods shorten to 13-14 seconds, and the combined energy plummets into the 200-300 range. There’s a bit of a lull through the 24th and 25th, with some poor to marginal conditions. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate.

Looking further ahead, around the 27th of August, there’s a flicker of hope. Thursday afternoon shows 3ft from the SW, 16 seconds, clean cross-off wind from the SW, combined energy 757, and a very good surf rating. That’s a promising end to the run, but it’s a long way off – treat it as a maybe, not a certainty.

Overall, the best surfing in this stretch is Thursday afternoon the 13th and Friday afternoon the 14th of August. That’s where the quality, the wind, and the swell size line up. After that, pick the clean afternoons for small, perfect waves through the 19th.

Keep it salty.

Rusty.

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