Zippers-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's coming up for the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the outlook is pretty bleak. We've got a stretch starting from Sunday the 9th through to the end of the second week where the surf is either flat, messy, or just not worth paddling out for. The first real chance of anything decent won't come until the very end of the forecast window. The water's sitting at a balmy 87°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—almost 5°F warmer than average, so you'll be feeling that tropical bath.

For the first few days, from Sunday the 9th right through to Tuesday the 11th, it's a write-off. Small 2ft to 3ft SSW swell with cross-on or cross winds and combined wave energy that's moderate at best (around 400 to 588), but the conditions are poor. The wind is just ruining it. There's a tiny glimmer on Tuesday afternoon with a light cross-off breeze making things clean, but the swell is only 2ft with moderate energy (466)—barely a ripple.

The middle of the week, Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th, sees the swell holding around 3ft from the SW with a long 16-second period. The mornings are a bit of a gamble with onshore winds, but the afternoons clean up nicely with cross-off breezes. Thursday afternoon in particular has the best quality of the whole run, with very good conditions predicted and a decent energy reading of 696. It's not big, but if you're chasing a clean, lined-up wave, that's your moment.

Then we hit another slump. From Friday the 14th through to Wednesday the 19th, the swell is inconsistent and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, making for choppy, poor conditions. There's a spike in energy on Friday afternoon (1214) and Saturday morning (1065) with 5ft SW swell, but the cross-on wind and short 16-second period means it's messy. The setup at Zippers-Costa Azul (Costa Azul) is a beach and reef break, so with that much swell and poor wind, it might be more fun for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

The last few days, from Thursday the 20th through to Sunday the 23rd, are mostly poor again with small swell and onshore winds. There's a brief clean-up on Saturday the 22nd afternoon with 2ft SSW swell and a light cross-off breeze (energy 316), but it's marginal.

The best and only real standout comes on Monday the 24th. The morning has a 5ft SSE swell with a short 11-second period and a light cross breeze, giving moderate energy of 835. But the afternoon is where it's at: 5ft from the SSE, still short period, but with a moderate cross-off breeze making for clean conditions and energy at 748. It's not huge, but after two weeks of nothing, that's the session to target. Just be aware that crowds are often an issue here, so get in early.

Overall, the next two weeks are mostly a bust. It tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change, but for now, you're waiting until the last Monday for a half-decent wave.

Rusty

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