Figueira da Foz - Buarcos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at the surf window for Buarcos (Figueira da Foz - Buarcos) over the next couple of weeks. It’s a point break, exposed to swell, and it’s got that classic Atlantic feel to it, but we’ve got to pick our moments. The first week is a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of average days and some real duds, but there are a few windows of clean, rideable surf if you’re sharp. The second week, though, has a couple of proper standouts that are worth circling on the calendar.

We start on the morning of Monday, 17 August. It’s glassy, with light winds and some clean lines on the push. Swell is around 5ft from the NNW, period of 8 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 267. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and that’s what counts. The water temp is pretty much average for this time of year, so no dramas there.

Monday afternoon, the wind swings a bit more cross-off and the swell drops slightly to 4.3ft with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is a touch weaker at 222, and while it’s still clean, the quality starts to fade. Then comes Tuesday, 18 August. The wind turns cross-on from the south, and the surf gets messy and choppy. It’s a write-off – definitely a day for the coffee shop, not the line-up.

Wednesday, 19 August is even smaller and poorer. The swell drops to 3.3ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon, with a shorter 7 second period. It’s onshore and ugly. Another skip. Thursday, 20 August sees a brief pick-up in the morning – 2ft from the WNW with a longer 9 second period – but the wind is cross-off and it’s clean, just not very exciting. The afternoon kicks up to 4.6ft from the NNW but the period is back down to 7 seconds, and the onshore wind ruins it.

Friday, 21 August is a tease. The morning brings 6.6ft from the NNW with a 7 second period, and the energy jumps up to 610, which is moderate. It’s clean with cross-off winds, but the short period means it’s walled, not glassy. It’s a “maybe” – keep your expectations low. The afternoon sees 7.2ft with the same short period, and it’s just lumpy. Not great.

Saturday, 22 August is cross-shore and a little messy. Swell is around 5.6-5.9ft from the NNW, period still 7-8 seconds, energy moderate. It’s surfable but not memorable. Then we get to Sunday, 23 August – and this is where it starts to get interesting. The morning is glassy, with light offshore winds, and the swell is a solid 5.9ft from the NNW, period 8 seconds, energy at 443. It’s clean, it’s got push, and it’s a proper surf. There’s a bit of light rain around, but who cares when it’s that clean. This is one of the better mornings of the patch.

The afternoon of Sunday holds up at 5.2ft, but the wind turns cross-shore and it gets a little crossed up. Still, the morning is the highlight of the first week.

Now, the gap. Monday, 24 August and Tuesday, 25 August are mostly poor. Monday brings onshore winds and rain, with the surf around 4.3-4.9ft and choppy. Tuesday has cleaner winds but the swell is still short-period and doesn’t really fire. Wednesday, 26 August is a real dead spot – the morning is barely 4.6ft and the afternoon drops to 0.3ft from the south with almost no energy. That’s a flat spell, no question.

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