Zurriola hondartza Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Zurriola hondartza in feet and miles per hour because that’s how the tape reads for some of you.

The water’s sitting at a very unusual 77°, which is way warmer than normal for this time of year. Feels like a warm bath out there, but that’s the only easy part of this forecast.

First week’s pretty much a bust. We start Thursday, 23 July, with tiny 2 ft swell from the NNW and light cross-onshore wind around 3 mph. Combined swell energy is weak at 45. Conditions are poor. Friday 24 July starts glassy but with a 2 ft, 5-second windswell (period too short) and the wind goes bad by the afternoon. Saturday 25 July sees a bump in size to 6 ft in the morning from the WNW (energy jumps to 261 - moderate), but that comes with a solid 12 mph cross-onshore wind, making it choppy and lumpy. By the afternoon it’s 8 ft from the WNW, energy hits 573 (moderate), but with 19 mph cross-onshore, it’s a messy, blustery windswell and only for experts. Sunday 26 July still has 6 ft from the NW (energy 396 - moderate) but again cross-onshore wind ruins it.

Monday, 27 July is a tease: 5 ft of NW swell with a period of 10 seconds (groundswell!) and energy at 517 (moderate). But the wind is onshore and there’s light rain—the report says "marginal" or "poor". Not worth driving for.

Then we get a glimmer. Tuesday morning, 28 July is the only real standout in the whole outlook. It’s clear, the wind is glassy from the ENE, and we've got a 4 ft NW groundswell at 10 seconds (good period). Energy is 309 (moderate). The forecast actually says "expect good surf conditions." The direction is NW, which is close to the optimum NW. Crowds at Zurriola can be sometimes, so it might get busy but for good reason. It’s not too big—fine for intermediate surfers. This is the one to aim for.

After that, it drops back. Wednesday 29 July morning is glassy but tiny—3 ft with a short period (9 seconds) from the NW, energy down to 139 (weak). The report calls it "surfable but very ordinary." Then from Thursday 30 July right through to the end of the first week and into the second, we're back to poor conditions with tiny waves under 3 ft, weak energy (often below 100), and periods under 10 seconds.

The second week is lean. From 31 July through to 7 August, the swell is on life support. Most days show 1 ft to 3 ft, periods from 5 to 9 seconds, weak combined energy (values in the 30s and 40s, a few in the 80s and 90s, but nothing significant). Wind is a mix of cross-on and onshore, keeping things messy. There’s a glassy morning on 1 August and 2 August with "surfable but very ordinary" waves, but that's about as good as it gets. Nothing there to chase.

So to sum it up: we've got over a week of mostly poor to very ordinary surf ahead. The only real highlight is Tuesday morning, 28 July—get up early, enjoy the clean, glassy conditions on that 4 ft NW groundswell before the wind swings and the small stuff takes over again. For the rest, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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