Atalaia (Molhes) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first real nod for a surf comes Friday morning, July 10th, but honestly, it’s pretty ordinary. We’re looking at tiny 2ft waves from the east with a 14-second period, so there’s a bit of energy in the water (combined energy of 150), but it’s just not enough to get excited about. The wind is light offshore from the west, so it’ll be clean, but it’s a real ankle-snapper.

Things start to pick up nicely on Saturday, July 11th. The morning shows a cleaner 4ft swell from the east-southeast, with a solid 13-second period pushing that combined energy up to 449. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the northwest, making for some clean, fun waves. This is the first real standout of the period. Honestly, Saturday morning is the best bet for the whole first week. The afternoon holds similar conditions, just a tad smaller.

Sunday morning, July 12th, is another beauty. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the east-southeast, and the wind goes glassy. That’s right, glassy. The combined energy is chunky at 455, and the waves are clean. That’s a proper session right there. The afternoon gets ruined by a strong onshore wind, so get out early.

The rest of the first week drops off. Monday morning sees a bump in size to 6ft, but it’s all onshore wind and short, choppy 8-second period junk. The combined energy jumps to 679, but it’s a messy, wind-blown mess. The following days are all small and largely ordinary, with only a few brief windows of clean but small surf mid-week.

Now, the second week gets a little more interesting. There’s a bit of a lull, but we start seeing a few better signals again. On Thursday, July 23rd, the afternoon sees a clean 2ft swell from the southeast with a longer 12-second period and a combined energy of 231. It’s small, but it’s a sign of better things.

Then, Friday morning, July 24th, is a real highlight. The swell is still only 3ft from the southeast, but the period is a nice 12 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. The combined energy is 275, and it’s calling for “good surf conditions.” This is a very clean, fun morning for the smaller boards.

But the real standout of the whole 16-day window is Saturday, July 25th. The forecast is showing a big pulse of swell, 8ft from the south-southeast, with an 11-second period. The combined energy is enormous at 1613 – that’s serious power. The catch is the wind is a light cross-on from the northeast, which could keep it a little bumpy. At this size, this is strictly for experienced surfers only. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but it’s the most promising swell of the entire forecast.

Atalaia (Molhes) is a fairly exposed beach and jetty break, and the optimum swell direction is from the south-southeast. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report. Crowds are a thing here sometimes, especially on the good days. For the standout Saturday morning, expect company.

So, to wrap it up: the best windows are Saturday morning, July 11th, and Sunday morning, July 12th, for the first week, and Friday morning, July 24th, for a clean glassy session. The big one to watch is Saturday, July 25th, but that’s one for the crew who know what they’re doing.

Rusty.

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