Zumaya (Playa de Itxurun) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ straight at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks at Zumaya (Playa de Itxurun). We’ve got a real mixed bag here – a long, quiet start, then a proper pulse of energy later on that could be something special if the stars align.

Right now, things are flat. The first week is gonna feel like a write-off for any proper surfing. There’s a little bump of 1.0 ft from the north on Monday the 24th with a short 6-second period and weak energy (11), but the wind is off and the conditions are poor; it’s honestly not worth paddling out for. Then it basically dies – Tuesday and Wednesday have minimal swell, with Wednesday morning the 26th showin’ 2 ft from the WNW with a period of 7 seconds and weak energy (82) but it’s glassy. That’s a moment you could get a fun little knee-high ripple, but it’s very ordinary. Thursday afternoon the 27th offers 3 ft of WNW swell at 8 seconds and moderate energy (129) with clean conditions and offshore wind – finally a wave you can ride, but still just surfable, not epic.

The gap of small, marginal surf lasts right through Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th morning. Saturday is the first real standout of the period. Saturday morning is clean and glassy with 5 ft from the NW at 9 seconds and strong energy (421). That’s head-high, clean, and with no wind it’ll be good. But be warned: it’s a beach/jetty setup, so on a rising swell like this it can get a bit unruly, and crowds are often here. Still, that Saturday morning is the pick of that first week.

Then everything builds. The real story comes around Monday the 7th of September. The water temp is 76°F – that’s much warmer than normal for the time of year, so you can leave the booties at home. The combined energy hits 3706 – that’s very strong – with 6 ft from the NW at a very long 21-second period. Winds are glassy. That is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The period is so long (over 15 seconds) that it’s a proper groundswell, which means it’ll have raw power and long lulls between sets. At a beach break like this, with such a long period, it might stand up a bit too straight and pitchy, so it’s not beginner-friendly. Monday afternoon sees an 12 ft monster from the NW with a 17-second period, but the file flat-out says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That’s expert-only territory or maybe even unrideable.

Tuesday the 8th of September morning remains solid – 6 ft from WNW at 13 seconds, strong energy (1366), clean with light cross-off wind. That’s still proper and for experienced surfers. After that, Wednesday and Thursday slowly drop back into the ordinary range.

Look, if you’re a beginner, this window is not your friend. The surfable days come with swell over 5 ft and some very long periods, so it’s for the confident crew only. The one real standout session, balancing clean conditions and manageable size, is Saturday morning the 29th of August and Monday morning the 7th of September for the real power surfers. Just be aware that the 7th is a long-range call and less certain.

Rusty.

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