August redraws July exactly: the same five peaks and the same Atlantic coasts in their trough. What changes is on land rather than in the water. This is the top of the European holidays, so Sri Lanka and Nicaragua are full, while South Africa and Mozambique are the quietest of the five.
Sorted by the coasts at their peak in August, then by verdict.
| Country | August on that coast | Water | Peak season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | Excellent | 29° | Peak |
| Mozambique | Excellent | 24° | Peak |
| Nicaragua | Excellent | 29° | Peak |
| South Africa | Excellent | 17° | Peak |
| Sri Lanka | Excellent | 28° | Peak |
| Colombia | Very good | 28° | – |
| Mexico | Very good | – | – |
| Panama | Very good | – | – |
| Canary Islands | Good | 23° | – |
| France | Good | 23° | – |
| Iceland | Good | 12° | – |
| Ireland | Good | 17° | – |
| Portugal | Good | 18° | – |
| Senegal | Good | 28° | – |
| Wales | Good | 18° | – |
| Morocco | Off season | 22° | – |
| Spain | Off season | 23° | – |
- Costa Rica · The month in detail
- Mozambique · The month in detail
- Nicaragua · The month in detail
- South Africa · The month in detail
- Sri Lanka · The month in detail
- Colombia · The month in detail
- Mexico · The month in detail
- Panama · The month in detail
- Canary Islands · The month in detail
- France · The month in detail
- Iceland · The month in detail
- Ireland · The month in detail
- Portugal · The month in detail
- Senegal · The month in detail
- Wales · The month in detail
- Morocco · The month in detail
- Spain · The month in detail
Verdicts are read from published surf guides and signed by us. Temperatures are monthly means published for one named break per country, not an average of a coastline. Swell height is left out on purpose: no source publishes it month by month for all of these coasts, and a figure measured one way here and modelled another way there would not compare.