Zippers-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Alright, the outlook for Zippers-Costa Azul is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a pulse of energy coming through to start, but it’s wrapped up in some tricky conditions. The good news is, the water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a nice touch.

We kick things off on Thursday, July 30th. The swell is pushing in at 4 ft from the SSW with a solid 14-second period, giving us a good amount of energy (906). But the morning is a write-off with that SE wind blowing on it. The afternoon looks better; the wind swings to the west at 15 km/h, going cross-offshore, and the wave face cleans up. You’ll find 4 ft SSW swell, but the forecast edges it as marginal.

Friday, July 31st, is a tough one. The swell drops to 3 ft, but the wind is blowing onshore in the morning, making it poor. The afternoon sees the wind cross-off again, but at 20 km/h, it’s a bit breezy and the swell is only 4 ft. It’s not looking great.

Saturday, August 1st, the swell size takes a big dive to 2 ft. The wind is a cross-shore in the morning, and the afternoon has a cross-off breeze, but the swell is too small to get excited about.

Sunday, August 2nd, is a slight improvement. The morning has a light cross-off breeze and 2 ft of S swell. It’s small, but clean. The afternoon gets a bit windier, but the swell is still only 2 ft.

From Monday, August 3rd, through to Wednesday, August 6th, the swell drops to the 1 ft to 2 ft range. There are some glassy conditions on Tuesday morning, August 4th, with the wind dropping to nothing, but the swell is just too small to be worth a paddle. The energy is very weak (156-187).

Things start to look up on Thursday, August 7th. The swell picks up to 3 ft from the SSW, and the period jumps to 18 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell. The morning has a light onshore breeze, but Friday afternoon, August 7th, is the real standout. The wind is cross-offshore at 15 km/h, and the conditions are labeled as very good. This is the best window of the whole forecast. With the swell coming from the SSW, it’s a solid match for the spot.

Saturday, August 8th, follows up with another good afternoon. The wind shifts to a light cross-off, and the swell holds at 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, with a 15-16 second period. The energy is moderate (525-698). This is a good run of waves.

The action fades a bit into Sunday, August 9th, and Monday, August 10th, as the swell drops back to 2 ft. The period is still long (19-20 seconds), but that’s a lot of water moving for a small wave, and it might be a bit tricky to handle at a beach and reef setup.

The last few days from Tuesday, August 11th, to Friday, August 14th, see a bump back to 3 ft to 4 ft with a long period, but the wind is all over the place. The morning of Wednesday, August 12th, is looking rough with a fresh cross-onshore breeze at 30 km/h, making it lumpy. The afternoons are cleaner but the overall quality is marginal.

The standout: Friday afternoon, August 7th, and Saturday afternoon, August 8th. The swell is a solid 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, the period is in the 15 to 17-second range, and the wind is clean, cross-offshore. This is where you want to be.

The energy is moderate, hitting the 525 to 760 range during these sessions. The crowd factor is "often," so you’ll likely have company, but it’s worth it for the clean waves.

Rusty.

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