Zippers-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next stretch is a bit of a slow burner at first, but there’s some decent action coming if you’re patient. The first few days are on the small side, and honestly, not worth getting too excited about. We’re looking at the early part of the forecast being a waiting game.

Tuesday afternoon kicks things off, but it’s pretty weak. You’ve got a 2ft SW swell at Zippers-Costa Azul, but it’s crossed up with a light onshore breeze and the water’s a warm 87.6°, which is running about 5° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s notable, but the surf itself is pretty average, with combined energy sitting at 481. Not the kind of waves that get you racing to the water.

Come Wednesday morning, we see a slight bump to 3ft SW, but the period is a long 17 seconds and the winds are just light. It’s a marginal call, and the energy is still moderate at 523. The afternoon builds a little more to 3.5ft, but it’s cross-shore and still nothing special.

Thursday is where things start to pick up. Morning brings in 4ft at 16 seconds from the SW, and it’s glassy. That’s your first real window of clean surf. The energy is a solid 829, and the calm conditions are a huge plus. The afternoon holds the same size but with a light offshore breeze, making it clean and lined up. This is a good day to get out.

Friday is another solid one. Morning glass with 3.5ft SW, and the afternoon goes offshore with 3ft. The period drops to 14 seconds but the quality is still good. Energy is moderate at 458, but the conditions make up for it.

Saturday is still clean, especially the morning with 3ft and glassy conditions. The size is dropping a bit, but it’s still surfable. The trend continues into Sunday with small, clean waves around 2ft. Not big, but the conditions are nice.

Now, here’s the one standout in this whole run: Monday afternoon, September 14th. We see a jump to a solid 6.5ft, but the period drops way down to a short 7 seconds, and it’s coming from the SSE. The winds are a moderate cross-offshore. That’s a lot of energy (747), but with that short period and size, it’s going to be a messy, powerful beast. This one is strictly for experts. The short period means it’s not going to have any shape, just raw, closeout potential. This looks more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day.

After that pulse, we settle back down. From Tuesday the 15th through to the end of the window, we see a return to that 2ft to 4ft SW groundswell with very long periods (14-19 seconds) and mostly glassy or light offshore winds. The standouts in this stretch are the mornings of Sunday the 20th, Monday the 21st, and Tuesday the 22nd where you’ve got 3.5-4ft SW at 16-17 seconds, clean and glassy. The energy builds nicely, reaching a peak of 907 on Monday morning, which tells you there’s some decent push behind these swells. These are your best bets for clean, consistent, fun waves on the points and reefs. The long period is a bonus – it’ll have proper shape and power.

Just a heads-up, the second week is looking a little more of the same – small but clean. The long-range stuff is promising, but don’t book the day off work just yet. Conditions look good on Wednesday the 23rd, with glassy 4ft SSW waves, but it’s a long way out, so treat that as a "maybe."

So, the plan: skip this Tuesday and Wednesday, get out Thursday and Friday, definitely be careful on Monday the 14th, and then keep an eye on those glassy mornings from the 20th onwards. That’s where the real quality will be. The wave energy is moderate, but the consistency is there.

Stay stoked.

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