Surf Forecasts:
Arrifana surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, NNW swell with 657 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period with NNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Arrifana this week:
The surf forecast for Arrifana over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Arrifana in the next 16 days are 1.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Arrifana over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight up: Arrifana is in a long, quiet patch. For a spot that's fairly exposed to the NW swell, it's a frustrating run of small, weak, and often messy conditions for the next week or more. The water's running a bit cold at 66.9°F and feels much colder than normal for this time of year.
We've got practically nothing for days. The first couple of mornings are tiny, with just a 2.6ft swell from the NNW and a short 8-second period. The energy is weak (74), the wind is cross-on, and the whole thing looks poor. That runs right through until Friday the 21st morning, when a 4.9ft NW swell finally shows up, but it's short period (8 seconds) and the wind is a solid cross-offshore 12 mph. It's clean, but the rating is marginal. The afternoon gets blown out with 19 mph winds. Riding a 4.9ft, short-period wave with that much wind is a tough ask. Not a standout.
The weekend offers a glimmer. Saturday the 22nd morning picks up a 4.9ft swell from the NNW, with a better 10-second period. The energy is solid (474), and it's clean with a cross-offshore breeze. That's the most promising moment in the first week, but with crowds listed as "sometimes," you'll have company. The afternoon gets messy again. Then Sunday the 23rd morning is glassy—NNW wind at 0 mph!—for a tiny 2.9ft wave. Beautiful conditions, but the wave itself is small and ordinary. A glassy, surfable wave is a gift, but it's not a proper session.
From there, it's a string of poor, choppy days with cross-shore winds and weak energy. We're looking at a near-complete blank until Monday the 31st of August. That morning, we get a jump to 4.6ft from the NW with a 9-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore 3 mph, and for the first time in this outlook, the forecast says "expect good surf conditions". The energy is moderate (387). That's the real standout. It's clean, it's got a bit of size, and it's the best on offer across this entire 16-day window.
Monday the 31st morning at Arrifana is your best bet. A 4.6ft NW swell, light N wind, clean conditions. After that, the pattern continues with moderate to strong winds and marginal or poor quality. The swell stays below 6.6ft, so it's not a bomber swell, but it's the only window that looks truly surfable with a good rating. The rest is a wait-and-see game.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the NNW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 67 | 48 | 38 | 47 | 45 | 45 | 276 | 204 | 657 | 439 | 314 | 216 | 111 | 76 | 101 | 108 | 112 | 201 | 126 | 67 | 2 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:52PM2.12m | 8:20AM2.08m | 8:56PM1.92m | 9:35AM1.97m | 10:28PM1.83m | 11:08AM1.97m | 11:56PM1.89m | 12:21PM2.10m | 00:56AM2.04m | 1:13PM2.28m | 1:39AM2.20m | 1:52PM2.48m | 2:14AM2.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:31PM0.79m | 1:53AM0.89m | 2:31PM0.97m | 2:56AM1.07m | 4:00PM1.08m | 4:31AM1.13m | 5:40PM1.04m | 5:59AM1.04m | 6:47PM0.89m | 6:56AM0.88m | 7:32PM0.71m | 7:37AM0.70m | 8:08PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — |
 | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | SW 14 | WNW 9 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | W 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 67 | 48 | 28 | 47 | 45 | 45 | 56 | 149 | 7 | 27 | 314 | 216 | 111 | 76 | 86 | 108 | 112 | 201 | 126 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | NNW 6 | SSW 4 | NW 8 | SW 14 | WNW 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | WSW 7 | W 6 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 24 | 13 | 61 | 101 | 45 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 13 | NW 11 | NW 12 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 12 | W 11 | — | — |
| kJ | 20 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 7 | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | — | — | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | — | NW 7 | NW 5 |
| kJ | 1 | 7 | — | — | 20 | 81 | 276 | 204 | 657 | 439 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 67 | 47 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 397 | 62 | 406 | 62 | 32 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 27 | 27 | 623 | 55 | 32 | 603 | 405 |
Best forecast wave conditions in The Algarve | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Arrifana surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Arrifana Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Arrifana provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Arrifana can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Arrifana surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Arrifana) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Arrifana may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Arrifana is 27 km (17 miles) from Lagos. If you plan a holiday in The Algarve, look for hotels and other accommodation in Lagos. Lagos has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest