Zippers-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks down at Zippers-Costa Azul.

First thing you need to know is the water is cooking. It’s sitting at 85°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s seriously unusual, so you won’t need a wetsuit, that’s for sure.

The opening stretch is a bit of a flat, messy story. Through the first week, the swell is small and the winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, so the surf is pretty ragged. We’ve got a weak, combined energy here, mostly around the 400 to 600 mark, which is nothing to get excited about. The best of this early period is a tiny window on Monday afternoon the 13th with a light 3 mph cross-swell and a 3ft swell from the SSW, but it’s still marginal. Things stay quiet and poor through Wednesday the 15th.

Then we get a pulse. On Thursday the 16th, the swell jumps up to 8ft from the S, but it’s coming with a 12 mph onshore wind, so it’s going to be a messy, choppy mess. The energy spikes to 2180, but it’s not for paddling. The real ramp-up hits Friday the 17th, with a 12ft SSW swell and 12 mph onshore winds. The combined energy hits 2998, which is powerful, but it’s a full-on, blown-out beast. That’s expert-only territory, and honestly, with that wind, it looks more like a kiteboarding session than a surfing one.

After that big pulse, the swell drops back through the weekend, but the wind stays messy. Saturday the 18th is a washout, and Sunday the 19th offers a tiny 4ft SW swell with a light onshore breeze – still poor.

Now, here’s the standout. Look at Wednesday the 22nd of July. The morning is glassy. Glassy! A 7ft swell from the SSW with a 3 mph glassy wind. The energy is solid at 1515. This is the day for experienced surfers. The waves will have some punch from that 12-second period, and with no wind, it’ll be clean. But Thursday the 23rd is even better. The morning brings a 8ft SW swell with a 6 mph cross-offshore breeze from the WNW, and the energy jumps to 2199. The afternoon is even cleaner, with a 8ft SW swell and a 6 mph cross-offshore from the N. That’s the pick of the whole run. Excellent, clean, powerful surf for the experienced crew.

Friday the 24th holds with a 7ft S swell in the morning, clean cross-offshore winds, and then the afternoon goes glassy again with a 6ft S swell. The period is short on that afternoon swell though, only 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit softer and more crumbly.

The last weekend, the 25th and 26th, has some fun options. Saturday the 25th afternoon is a standout: a 12ft SE swell, clean cross-offshore winds, and an energy reading of 2786. That’s a big, powerful, clean swell, but it’s for experts only. Sunday the 26th afternoon has a 4ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period and clean cross-offshore winds, but it’s a smaller, longer-period groundswell that might be a bit too straight for a beach break.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The best days are Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd of July for solid, clean, powerful waves. The afternoon of Saturday the 25th is also a big, clean option for the experts. Get out there.

Rusty.

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