Zarautz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days for the Zarautz region are a proper mixed bag, and honestly, the first week or so is pretty flat and uninspiring. Don’t expect to paddle out and get shacked straight away.

We’re kicking off on Wednesday, 8th July, with a tiny, weak swell. That morning, the water’s glassy with a light N wind, but the swell is only 2ft from the WNW with a short period (5 seconds) and poor energy (37). It’s basically a lake. That afternoon isn’t much better, with a 1ft wave and an onshore wind. The next few days through Thursday and Friday offer similar tiny, weak conditions, mostly under 3ft, often with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The energy readings are all in the low three-digit or two-digit range (109, 108), confirming there’s barely any power. On Friday afternoon, 10th July, we get a brief window of glassy conditions with 3ft surf, but it's still only rated as "surfable but very ordinary."

The weekend of the 11th and 12th July is more of the same – tiny, weak, and mostly messy with cross-onshore breezes. Monday and Tuesday, 13th and 14th July, see the energy drop to just 20 or even 9, with wave heights falling to 0.7ft. It’s a grim run. The water is sitting at a very unusual 77°F, about 9°F warmer than normal for this time of year.

After a long, flat gap, things start to show a pulse from Friday, 17th July. We see glassy conditions that morning with a 2ft NW swell (energy 27), but it’s still very weak. Saturday, 18th July, looks like the first real standout of the whole outlook. The morning brings a glassy 4ft WNW swell with a moderate 8-second period and a jump in energy to 138. This is the most promising surf we’ve seen yet. The afternoon swell gets bigger at 7ft (energy 508), but the wind goes onshore from the NNE, making it a tricky, choppy bank.

Now, the real event rolls in the following week. On Sunday, 19th July, we get a solid 6ft to 6ft NW swell, but the wind is a cross-onshore 9 mph, ruining the shape with chop. On Monday, 20th July, the morning is the best of the big swell days. The swell is 7ft from the NW with an 8-second period (energy 560) and a cross-shore breeze. This creates a lumpy but surfable wave. However, the afternoon sees a risk of thunderstorms and a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind, making the 8ft (energy 748) swell a total mess – this is big and dangerous, only for experts, and even then, it’s blown out. Tuesday, 21st July, keeps the swell around 7ft to 8ft (energy 887), with rain showers and strong cross/cross-onshore winds. With these strong winds and a beach setup, this section looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

By Wednesday, 22nd July, the swell drops to 4ft (energy 215) but with an onshore N wind, the quality is marginal at best. The rest of the period fades back into the small, weak stuff.

So, the standout window for Zarautz is the morning of Saturday, 18th July, for a clean, fun-sized wave. The real power comes on Monday, 20th July, in the morning, but it’s lumpy and challenging. For the rest, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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