The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey everyone, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for The Rock-Costa Azul over the next couple of weeks. We've got a solid run of surf on the way, but you're going to want to pick your moments for the best conditions.

The overall picture is a consistent, long-period SW groundswell on the menu for most of the first week. This is a reef setup, and with those long intervals (16-18 seconds), it's going to produce some properly shaped, powerful lines. The energy is moderate to strong, with combined swell energy values ranging from the mid-400s up to over 1200. Because of the long period, the sets will have a good gap between them, making the paddle out a bit easier, but the waves themselves will be packing a punch and can straighten out a bit at beach breaks – this spot is a reef, so it should handle that energy beautifully.

Tuesday (11th August) starts off a little messy. The morning has a light cross-onshore breeze with small ripples on a 3ft SSW swell (18-second period), so not the cleanest start. The afternoon cleans up with a SW wind becoming cross-off, and the swell drops a touch to 2ft. It's marginal, but the afternoon session is usable.

Wednesday (12th August) sees the morning with a light cross-shore breeze on a 3ft SSW swell (16 seconds). Still a bit of texture. The afternoon is much better – a clean offshore wind from the NW is blowing, and you'll find 3ft SW swell with a moderate combined energy of 475. That's a decent surf.

Now, Thursday (13th August) is where it starts getting good. The morning is looking glassy as all get-out – dead calm with a 3ft SW groundswell (16 seconds). That is a beautiful window for some clean, fun waves on the reef. The afternoon only gets better, with a clean cross-off breeze and the same 3ft swell, but it’s pushing a stronger combined energy of 698. That’s a standout for the early window.

Friday (14th August) is a bit of a two-sided day. The morning has onshore wind, so you can probably sleep in. But the afternoon? That’s the real standout of the whole forecast. We’ve got a clean cross-off breeze and the swell jumps up to 5ft from the SW at 17 seconds. The combined swell energy is reading a very healthy 1235. This is excellent, powerful wave energy for experienced surfers. It's not for beginners at that size, but if you're comfortable in solid surf, this is your session.

Saturday (15th August) has a bit of onshore wind in the morning again on that 5ft SW swell, but the afternoon cleans up nicely with a cross-off breeze and the swell easing to 4ft. Another very clean afternoon session. Sunday (16th) and Monday (17th) follow a similar pattern – a bit of texture in the mornings with cross-onshore wind, but the afternoons clean up with the swell holding around 4-4ft. The crowds here are noted as "often", so expect company.

From Tuesday (18th August) onwards, things taper off. The swell drops consistently into the 3ft - 3ft range, and most of the windows are marked as marginal quality or just clean but small. The wind stays light, with many afternoons offering a clean cross-off breeze, so there'll be small but rideable waves for those with a longboard or a fish.

Then we hit a rough patch starting on the 22nd of August. The onshore wind picks up, and by the 23rd, we've got poor conditions with onshore winds and a short-period S/SSE windswell. On the 24th and 25th of August, it gets blown out with strong winds and rain. There will be a significant gap of a few days with basically no surfable conditions.

So to sum it up: Thursday afternoon (13th August) and the Friday afternoon (14th August) are your best bets. Friday is the real standout for the experienced crew with that 5ft SW power. After that, the mornings are often a write-off, but the afternoons stay clean through the first week. The second week has a few clean but small afternoons before it shuts down completely.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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