Atalaia (Molhes) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what the next sixteen days have in store for us at Atalaia (Molhes).

It's a slow start, I'm not gonna lie. The first week or so is pretty ordinary, with tiny, weak waves and mostly onshore or cross-shore winds messing things up. You'll be waiting a while for anything decent, but hang in there because the second week has a promising pulse of energy.

Right now, through the end of July and into the first week of August, the swell is small, mostly from the ENE, with heights hovering around 1ft to 4ft. The wind is all over the place – cross, cross-on, occasionally glassy – but the energy is weak, with combined swell energy readings between 40 and 219. The water temperature is sitting around 66°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. A few mornings on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of August you'll get a glassy window with some tiny waves, but it's really just ankle to knee-high stuff. Not worth rushing out for.

There's a bit of a gap here with nothing exciting. The conditions remain pretty average through the 5th, 6th, and 7th of August. You'll see a few windows of cleaner, glassy conditions, particularly on the morning of the 6th with a light cross-offshore wind from the NW, but the swell height is still only 2ft and the energy is low (103). It's surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Now, let's talk about the standout. The real action kicks off on the morning of Wednesday, August 12th. This is the one you want to circle on the calendar. We've got a solid 3ft swell rolling in from the SE, but the period is a massive 16 seconds. That's a very long period groundswell, meaning it'll have serious push and shape, especially for a spot like Atalaia (Molhes) which is a beach and jetty setup. The combined swell energy jumps to a strong 688, so there's plenty of power behind it. The wind is light from the SSW, giving us a clean, cross-offshore flow. The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions," and I'm feeling it. This is the pick of the period, no doubt about it. The swell direction is close to the optimum SSE direction for this break, which is a great sign. It'll be a bit long between sets with that period, making paddling out easier, but the waves will have some proper shape.

Following that, Thursday the 13th of August also looks excellent. The swell drops a touch in period to 9 seconds, but it's a bigger 6ft from the E. The wind is glassy from the SW, so it'll be clean. The energy is still very strong at 532. This is solid, head-high plus surf. Just a heads up, with waves over 5ft, this is probably getting too big for beginners, and by the afternoon when it's 5ft, it'll have some punch.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half are a write-off, with tiny, messy surf. Don't bother. But hold out for Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August. Wednesday morning looks like the absolute best of it – that long-period groundswell with clean winds is the real deal. Keep an eye on it, as it's a fair way out and forecasts can shift, but right now it's looking like the only proper session in the window.

Rusty.

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