Figueira da Foz - Buarcos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Figueira da Foz – Buarcos.

The next 48 hours are going to be a slow grind. The surf on Thursday afternoon is weak, with a small 3ft swell from the NNW at a short 10 seconds. The north-northwest breeze will have things a bit on the messy side. It’s pretty poor, to be honest. Friday is even worse, with tiny waves dropping to around 2ft in the morning and 1ft by the afternoon. That’s flat for all intents and purposes. You’d be better off checking the tide pools.

Saturday morning brings a little life back. It’s glassy out there, with an easterly breeze and a clean-looking 4ft swell from the NNW. The period is a short 7 seconds, so while it’s clean, it won't have much push. The energy is moderate at 184. A few waves will be there, but it’s ordinary. Saturday afternoon sees the wind swing to the NNW at 12 mph, putting a bit of chop on it again.

Sunday morning is where things start to get interesting. It’s clean with an ESE breeze and a better looking 4ft swell from the NW with a 13-second period. The energy is moderate at 395. This is a step up—more organised, more power. This is your first real chance for a decent session. You’ll want to be patient for the sets.

Monday and Tuesday slip back into that poor-to-marginal zone. The swell drops back under 3ft, the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and there’s not much to get excited about. It’s a couple of days to watch from the sand.

Wednesday morning on the 16th, the energy jumps to 715, with a 7ft swell from the NNW. But the wind is NNW at 15 mph, creating messy, cross-off conditions. There’s size but it’s not going to be user-friendly. It’s a marginal one.

Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th bring more of the same. There’s decent size on offer, around 5ft to 7ft, but the winds are mostly unfavourable, with a fresh NNW breeze on Thursday afternoon. It’s going to be lumpy and tough to find clean lines.

Now, for the standout in this window. Keep your eye on Sunday the 20th of September. The morning is looking magic. A light E breeze has the surface glassy, with a clean 5ft swell from the NW at 11 seconds. The energy is strong at 644. This is a proper surf. Buarcos is an exposed point, and with the swell direction matching its optimum (WSW is the ideal, but this NW will wrap in), it should have some good shape. The crowds can be a bit of a thing here, but on a morning like this, it’s worth it. This is the one to circle in the diary.

Monday the 21st is a bit of a write-off with more onshore wind and messy conditions. However, the morning of Wednesday the 23rd of September is another cracker. It’s glassy again, with a SE breeze and a solid 5ft swell from the NW at a long 12-second period. The energy is pumping at 819. That’s a standout session. Buarcos, with this long-period groundswell, could be breaking a bit straight due to the period, but there will be more power and longer gaps between sets. It will be worth the wait. A light cross-on for the afternoon will soften it up a bit, but the morning is your window.

The following days are a bit of a mix, but Thursday the 24th morning is worth a paddle with a clean 4ft NW swell and glassy conditions.

Then we get to the big finale. Thursday the 25th of September is looking huge. The morning sees a 7ft swell from the NNW with a clean, light NNE breeze. The energy is massive at 1222. This is for experienced surfers only. The afternoon builds to a 8ft swell from the NW with a 12-second period and massive energy at 1426. This is the biggest and most powerful swell of the whole window. It’s called a “standout” for a reason—this is not for the faint-hearted. For experts, this will be the day. The crowd profile will be everyone who knows what they’re doing. Expect a crew out there.

So, in short: the next couple of days are flat. The first real highlight is Sunday morning the 20th, and the big one to plan around is the 25th, but only if you’ve got your big-wave hat on.

The water temp is sitting right around 68°F, which is about average for this time of year.

Signing off for now.

Rusty

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