Zurriola hondartza Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the outlook is pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and messy waves ahead. The only real highlight is a morning here or there with glassy conditions, but the swell energy is just too low to get excited about. The first decent chance doesn't even show up until the morning of Friday the 14th, and even then, it's a marginal call.

The water is sitting at a warm 76°F (that's about 5°F above normal for this time of year, so it's notably warmer than usual).

Let's run through it. The first few days, from the 7th through to the 13th, are a write-off. We're looking at tiny swell, mostly 1ft to 2ft, with short periods. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 100 (51 at best). The morning of the 7th has glassy wind, but the waves are just too small to be any fun. It's a real struggle.

The first real glimmer comes on the morning of Friday, August 14th. The swell ticks up a touch to 2ft from the WNW with a longer period of 11 seconds, giving a combined energy of 115 (moderate). The wind is glassy from the NNW. This is our best window, but the waves are still small and the break is a fairly consistent intermediate spot, so it might offer a few fun ones. Zurriola hondartza is the only spot in the mix, and the crowds are sometimes an issue, so keep that in mind.

After that, we slide back into a poor pattern. The 15th has a glassy morning, but the swell drops back to 2ft with a short period. The 16th and 17th are blown out with onshore wind and choppy conditions, even though the swell bumps up to 3ft and 4ft.

The week of the 18th looks messy. There's a bit more energy around the 20th and 21st, with swell hitting 4ft from the NW, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, making it choppy. The combined energy is moderate (around 180-192), but the quality just isn't there.

Then, on Saturday, August 22nd, we see a bigger increase in swell. It's coming in at 5ft from the NW, with a period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a strong 564. However, the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the WNW, which is going to chop it up badly. This is going to be a messy, powerful, and likely blown-out mess. The size is getting into the "experts only" territory for most, and the conditions are poor. It might be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

So, to sum it up: the only real chance for a surf is the glassy morning of Friday the 14th on the small, long-period swell. The bigger swell on the 22nd is a write-off due to the wind. It's a tough run.

Rusty.

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