Atalaia (Molhes) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. To be straight with you, this outlook for the Atalaia (Molhes) area is a bit of a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly small, weak, and messy conditions, with a few brief windows that might get you wet but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. The water’s sitting at 67°F right now, which is about normal for this time of year, so no worries there.

The first few days are a write-off. From Thursday the 30th of July through to Sunday the 2nd of August, the swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is all over the place – cross-on, cross-shore, nothing clean. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking 42 (42) on the 30th, and it’s labeled “poor surf conditions” across the board. Honestly, don’t bother.

We get a slight flicker on Monday morning the 3rd of August. The swell lifts to 3ft from the ENE, with a short 7-second period, and a light NW cross-offshore wind keeps it clean. The energy is still weak (82), but it’s surfable, just very ordinary. Still, if you’re desperate, you might find a few grovelly ones. Tuesday morning the 4th has a similar 3ft ENE swell, glassy with a light S wind, and energy bumps up to 158 (158). That’s the best of a bad bunch for the first week, but it’s still just “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.”

The rest of the first week stays small and messy. Crowds at Atalaia (Molhes) can be a thing sometimes, but honestly, with this quality, I wouldn’t worry about anyone else being out.

The second week isn’t much better, but we get a couple of glimmers. On Friday morning the 7th of August, we see a 4ft swell from the SSE, period a short 7 seconds, with a clean WNW cross-offshore wind. The energy jumps to 236 (236) – moderate now – but it’s still just “surfable waves.” That’s probably the standout of the entire forecast, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Then, on Monday the 10th of August, the morning shows a 3ft SE swell with a very long 14-second period, which points to proper groundswell energy. The combined energy hits 364 (364), which is a solid moderate reading. The wind is a light SSE cross-shore, so it’s clean enough. But the comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so take it with a grain of salt. That long-period SE swell might actually peel a bit better at this jetty setup, but it’s far out and not certain.

The last few days from the 12th to the 14th of August flip back to small ENE swells, 3ft to 4ft, with some glassy mornings on the 12th and 14th. The energy is moderate (128-166), but the waves are short-period and ordinary. The 14th Friday morning looks glassy with no wind, so if you’ve got a longboard, it might be worth a paddle.

Bottom line: if you’re set on surfing, Friday the 7th morning offers the biggest swell, and Monday the 10th morning has the most interesting long-period energy. But neither is a standout. The rest is a long gap of mediocrity. Keep your expectations low.

Rusty.

Read more