Atalaia (Molhes) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, looking at this 16-day window for our stretch, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a lot of lumpy, wind-affected days ahead, but there are a few windows where things line up and it’ll be worth paddling out. The opening days are pretty poor, with onshore winds and weak energy. The water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so you won’t need the thickest suit just yet.

Things start to look a little more interesting towards the back half of the first week and into the weekend, but the early part is a write-off for quality. Don't get too excited about the size either, we're looking at small to mid-range surf mostly.

Let’s break it down day by day.

Tuesday Afternoon (15th): Forget it. We’ve got a weak 2ft swell with a cross-on breeze making it choppy. The energy reading is only 104, so there’s hardly anything pushing through. You’re better off doing something else.

Wednesday Morning (16th): There’s a brief moment of glass with no wind, but it’s still just 2ft of weak, short-period swell. It’s surfable but pretty ordinary. Not worth the drive unless you’re desperate for a grovel.

The next several days then just kind of meander along. From Thursday through to Saturday, we see onshores and cross-shore breezes messing up what little swell we have. The energy stays low, mostly in the 46 to 238 range, and the waves are weak. Saturday afternoon does see a bump in size, hitting 7ft, but that comes with a short 7-second period and a cross-on wind. It’s going to be a messy, bumpy wall of whitewater. Not what you want.

Sunday Morning (20th): Now we’re starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the NNW, cleaning things up. We’ve got 5ft of swell, with energy jumping up to 337. It’s a short period swell, but the clean conditions should make for some fun, punchy waves on the banks. This is your first real chance for a decent session.

The next few days are a bit of a letdown after that. We're back to smaller, weaker swell with on-shore winds messing things up for the most part. The energy dips back down into the 100s and even 90s, so it’s looking small and poor.

Sunday Morning (27th): This is the standout of the whole window. It’s a couple of weeks out, so don’t book your flights yet, but this is the one to watch. The wind is dead calm, glassy as can be, and we’ve got 4ft of swell coming from the SSE, which is right in the optimum direction for Atalaia (Molhes). The energy is solid at 317, and the long period of 9 seconds is starting to shape up some proper lines. This is the best combination of conditions we get. The jetty and bank should be handling this nicely.

Monday Morning (28th): Another promising one to round things out. There’s a more powerful groundswell pushing through with a 13-second period. The size is a touch smaller at 3ft, but the energy is cranked up to 438, which is the most we see. It’s glassy again with a light SSW wind. The long period might make it a bit walled at the beach break, but the jetty should help focus it. This is another good one for the ledger. The long period is a real plus.

After that, we fade out into small, weak waves again to end the month.

So, if you're hanging for a surf, mark your calendar for the morning of Sunday the 27th. That’s the pick of the bunch. The Monday morning after that is also worth a look. A couple of promising windows, but you’ll need to be patient through the slop.

Until next time, keep an eye on that forecast.

Rusty

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