Zippers-Costa Azul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Text 2 – Imperial Units

Alright, let’s get this in feet and miles per hour. It’s a slow cooker of a start, gang.

Right through the first few days, from Sunday the 30th of August up to the end of that first week, it's marginal at best. The surf is there, but the wind is just buggering it up. Expect onshore and cross breezes making everything messy. You’ve got waves between 3 ft and 7 ft, but with that SE wind, it’s a chore. The combined energy is moderate to strong (1370 to 1743), but it’s all wasted on choppy, lumpy faces. The Thursday morning session on the 3rd of September is a total write-off with a 16 mph onshore wind.

But patience pays off. The first proper standout is Monday the 7th of September. This is the one you wait for. A clean 3 ft SSW groundswell with a 14-second period, and the wind turns light offshore from the West in the morning before going completely glassy in the afternoon with zero mph. This is Zippers-Costa Azul (Costa Azul) turning on the charm. The water temp is about right for the season. The crowds are listed as ‘often’, so that glassy afternoon might get a bit busy, but the quality will be top shelf. The combined energy is moderate (704 in the AM, 667 in the PM), but the clean face makes it ride like a much better wave.

Tuesday the 8th keeps that quality rolling. Another glassy morning, 4 ft of West swell (10-second period), with a light air. This is pure, clean, fun surfing. The energy is a little lower (646), but the conditions are kings.

Then the big stuff arrives. Thursday the 10th of September is for the experts only. The swell jumps to 10 ft from the SSE, 14-second period, with clean cross-offshore winds. The combined energy flies up to 3609 – that’s a powerful, serious wave. Friday the 11th of September is next-level. We are talking 21 ft to 28 ft of SE swell, 14-second period, and it's glassy. The energy numbers are staggering (16682 in the morning, 40676 in the afternoon). This is not for the faint of heart. This is a pro-only, big-wave session. It’s awe-inspiring, but you have to respect it.

After that, it drops hard. Saturday the 12th is still huge at 20 ft from the SW, but the wind turns onshore and cross, turning it into a dangerous, ugly mess. By Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th, it’s back to smaller, cleaner but unremarkable 4 ft to 6 ft waves.

Bottom line: Don’t waste your energy until Monday the 7th of September. That glassy Monday and Tuesday are your sweet spot for clean, fun waves. If you’re a charger, the 10th and 11th are the biggest, cleanest, most serious swell of the period. Go get it while the wind is still.

Rusty.

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