Atalaia (Molhes) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at Atalaia (Molhes) over the next couple of weeks. The early days are pretty average, but there are a few windows of clean surf worth getting excited about, especially towards the end of the forecast period. Let’s break it down.

The first few days are nothing to write home about. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th offer small, weak swell around 2ft to 3ft from the ENE with a short period of 8 seconds, and the energy is pretty low (80 to 98). Winds are cross-off or cross-on, so the conditions are just ordinary – surfable but nothing special. Friday afternoon gets a bit choppy, so that’s a pass.

Saturday the 8th is where things start to look up. We’ve got a glassy morning with light winds from the NNE, and a small 2ft SE groundswell with a long 14-second period pushing in. The combined energy jumps to 282 – moderate. That long period will make for clean, lined-up waves, especially for a beach/jetty setup like this, though the sets might be a bit spaced. By Saturday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 3ft from the SE, the period stretches to 16 seconds (very long period), and the energy hits 551. Glassy conditions again with a light NW breeze. This is a standout window – the water temp is sitting around 67°, which is about 1° warmer than average, nothing unusual. This Saturday afternoon session is the best on offer early on.

Sunday the 9th goes downhill fast. Strong SSE winds at 12 mph, cross and cross-on, chop up the surf. The swell is 4ft from the SSE and SE, with a moderate 13-second period, but the wind just kills it. Poor conditions all day.

From Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th morning, we’ve got small 2ft to 3ft SE swells with 13-second periods and light cross or offshore winds. Energy stays moderate (223 to 278). It’s clean on Wednesday morning with WSW offshore winds, and Wednesday afternoon goes glassy with a light NW breeze – both windows are clean and surfable. These are good, but not the top pick.

Thursday the 13th brings small, ordinary surf with light cross-off winds, nothing to rush out for. Friday the 14th gets messy with strong SE winds and building 5ft to 6ft short-period windswell (7 seconds) – that’s more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th see bigger 6ft to 7ft ENE windswell, but onshore and cross-on winds with short periods make it rough. Not recommended.

Monday the 17th morning is still poor, but Monday afternoon swings back with a clean 5ft E swell (8 seconds) and light cross-off NNW winds – a solid improvement.

Now here’s the real standout. Tuesday the 18th morning brings a clean 7ft ENE swell with a 9-second period and light cross-off SSW winds. The combined energy is 614 – moderate to strong. By Wednesday the 19th morning, we’ve got glassy conditions with a 6ft ENE groundswell at 10 seconds, energy at 754. This is the best of the lot – glassy, good size, clean lines. Wednesday afternoon stays glassy with a 6ft ENE swell. These are the sessions to circle on your calendar.

After that, the surf fades into small, weak 3ft to 4ft ENE swells with poor wind, and the last few days into the 21st are flat and ordinary.

So, if you’re picking the best – Saturday 8th afternoon for clean, long-period waves in a glassy setting, and Wednesday 19th morning for the biggest, cleanest swell of the forecast. Get amongst it.

Rusty.

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