The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, mate. Rusty here, and we’re looking at a one-break show for Costa Azul over the next couple of weeks. It’s The Rock – Costa Azul, a reef break that’s got a reputation for the advanced crew. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, so no nasty surprises there.

The opening week is a bit of a slow burn. We kick off on Tuesday, July 7th, with some solid, clean swell rolling in. First thing in the morning, we’re looking at a clean 4.9 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, and a cross-off breeze that’ll have the faces looking like glass. The wave energy is seriously pumping at 1419, and this is the standout. It’s big enough to be fun but not overwhelming for a good surfer. It’s a reef break, so that long-period swell will be wrapping in nicely. Keep in mind, the crowds are often here, so you won’t be alone for the good ones.

Things settle down through Wednesday and Thursday. The swell drops a touch to around the 3.9 ft to 4.6 ft mark, and while there are still some clean windows with that cross-off wind, the wave energy drops noticeably, and the forecast calls for “marginal” conditions at times. The weekend of the 11th and 12th is smaller again, mostly in the 3.3 ft to 3.9 ft range. The wind stays mostly cross-off, keeping it tidy, but the wave energy (695) is weak, so it’ll be a bit slow.

We hit a flat, quiet spell from around the 13th through the 15th. Swell drops to under 3.3 ft for a stretch. There’s a brief flicker on Wednesday afternoon the 15th with a clean, 2.9 ft SE swell offering some small waves, but it’s not much to write home about.

Then things get a bit wild. Around Thursday the 16th, the swell jumps back up, but it’s messy. Thursday morning sees a 5.6 ft SSE swell with a moderate cross-onshore wind making it choppy. By the afternoon, the swell picks up to 6.9 ft and the wind swings cross-off, cleaning it up, but that’s getting into the expert-only territory. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are a write-off for surfing. We’re talking a risk of thunderstorms, onshore winds hitting 37 mph, and lumpy, stormy seas. The wave energy jumps to 1675, but it’s all for the kite surfers – don’t bother paddling out.

After that stormy mess, we get a bit of a lull, but then Monday the 20th of July brings our second standout. Monday afternoon, a clean 7.9 ft SSE swell with a cross-off breeze and strong wave energy (1979) rolls in. This is “excellent for experienced surfers,” and it’s the call for the second week. The following day, Tuesday the 21st, the swell pumps up to 9.8 ft with energy at 3268, but the forecast warns it’s predicted to be too big for this break, so give it a miss unless you’re a charger with a death wish. Wednesday the 22nd sees it peak at a massive 16.4 ft, which is a solid no-go.

So, you’ve got two windows: the Tuesday morning session on the 7th and that Monday afternoon on the 20th of July. The rest is either too small, too messy, or too big.

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