Zarautz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's on offer for the Zarautz lineup over the next few weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a challenging stretch. The water is sitting at 77°F, which is a massive 7°F warmer than normal, so you'll be in boardies for sure, but the surf quality is the real story. We've got a long, flat spell to start, with nothing really worth paddling out for from Thursday, the 23rd, right through the weekend. The wind is messy, the swell is weak and short-period, and scores are just no good.

The first real glimmer of hope comes later in the week. Monday morning, the 27th, we see a pulse of longer-period swell, around 5ft from the NW with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to 486 (moderate wave energy). It's a bit of a game-changer, but the wind is a cross-onshore, so don't expect perfection. It's marginal, borderline surfable, but at least there's something to look at. That swell hangs around into Tuesday, the 28th, with similar height and period, but still that cross-onshore breeze keeps things lumpy. Combined energy stays in the low-300s (moderate wave energy).

The pick of the whole period, if you can call it that, would have to be Wednesday morning, the 29th of July. The swell drops to 3ft from the NW, period is 9 seconds, and the energy is down to 141 (moderate wave energy). But here's the thing – the wind is glassy out of the east. That means silky, clean conditions. For a spot like Zarautz, which is a very consistent beach break, that glassy window is pure gold. The waves won't be big, but they'll be the cleanest we see all week. Even then, it's only rated as "very ordinary" conditions, so keep your expectations in check.

After that, it's a slow fade. There's a few more glassy mornings, like Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August, and even Wednesday the 6th, but the swell is tiny – under 3ft – and the energy is low (two-digit numbers in the 40s to 80s). It's ankle-snappers at best. The second week of the outlook is a bit of a write-off, with very little energy and light onshore winds. The standouts are few and far between, and there's nothing that screams "go-getter" session. For a spot that's usually very consistent, this is a rare dry spell. It won't be like this forever, but for now, it's a waiting game. Keep an eye on the longer-range forecasts, because a change is always around the corner.

For the more experienced crew, the bigger swell on the 25th (8ft from the WNW) was a dud because of the strong cross-onshore breeze. That setup would be more interesting for the kite surfers than anyone on a paddle board.

Rusty.

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