The Rock-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s how the surf’s shaping up for the Costa Azul region. We’re looking at a solid run of swell, but the early days are going to test your patience. The water is cooking at 89°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a real anomaly you don’t see often, so you can leave the wetsuit at home.

The opening weekend is a bit of a write-off. Saturday the 22nd has a clean 2ft SSW swell in the afternoon, but the morning is poor. Sunday the 23rd is similar – small 3ft SSW swell with moderate cross-off winds in the afternoon that’ll keep it clean, but nothing to get excited about. The energy is moderate (612 to 673).

Monday the 24th has a brief moment. The afternoon shows a 2ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period and a combined energy of 691 – moderate. The wind goes cross-off and clean, making for "very good" conditions. It’s small, but if you’re on a log, this is your window.

Tuesday morning the 25th is the first real standout. The Rock-Costa Azul has a 5ft SW swell with an 11-second period, glassy conditions with the wind almost nil at 5 km/h from the south, and a combined energy of 905 – that’s moderate to strong. The swell direction is SSW, which isn’t bang-on the optimum S direction, but it’s close enough for this reef setup. The wind will have it looking like glass. This is the best wave of the early week, no doubt.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th drop off with onshore and cross-shore winds messing up the 4ft and 3ft swells. Nothing worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th is where it starts to get interesting. The morning has a 4ft SSW swell with a 17-second period, but it’s a cross-on wind. The afternoon is the real deal: 5ft SSW swell, 18-second period, combined energy hits 1571 (strong) and the wind shifts cross-off from the WSW. That’s "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" – the period is long enough to juice up the reef, and it’s clean. This is the best session of the week.

Saturday the 29th keeps the energy rolling. The morning is a 5ft SSW swell, 16-second period, with 1263 energy and a light cross breeze. The afternoon cleans right up: 5ft SSW, 15-second period, cross-off wind, and 1042 energy – another "excellent" session. Two good afternoons in a row.

Sunday the 30th is back to moderate, with a 4ft cross-shore chop in the morning and a clean 3ft in the afternoon. Small but rideable.

Then there’s a gap in quality until Tuesday the 1st of September. That morning has a big 7ft S swell, but it’s cross-on. The afternoon is the standout: 7ft S swell, 13-second period, cross-off wind from the west, and combined energy of 1982 – strong. That’s "excellent" for experienced surfers. At 7ft, this is getting into expert territory.

Wednesday the 2nd of September holds solid: 6ft S swell, cross-off winds in the afternoon, energy over 1100. Clean and punchy.

Thursday the 3rd of September is a big one. The morning has a 8ft S swell with 12-second period and a massive 3314 energy – very strong. The wind is light onshore from the SE. The afternoon shows a 6ft SSW swell with a 19-second period (very long) and 3283 energy. That period is so long it’ll be lining up nicely on the reef but might be tricky if the tide isn’t right. This is for experts only.

Friday the 4th of September has 6ft SSW swells but with cross-on winds making it choppy. The energy is over 4000, but the wind kills it.

The final weekend, the 5th and 6th of September, is a blowout. Onshore winds up to 25 km/h from the southeast and big 5 to 6ft swells will be messy and blown out. Not worth it for paddling, but that wind and swell combo could be fun for kite surfers if that’s your thing.

Overall, the standout sessions are Tuesday the 25th morning for the glassy perfection, and Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th afternoons for clean, powerful swell. The early September window on the 1st is also promising but that’s further out, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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