Cantinho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Cantinho is a tough one. The overall pattern is dominated by persistent cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, with the swell mostly coming from the NNW and NW. It’s not looking great, and there’s a real gap of surfable conditions at the start.

For the first few days, from Wednesday the 19th of August right through to Monday the 24th, it’s pretty much a write-off. The swell is small and weak, around 2ft to 7ft, but the wind is just ruining it – cross-onshore breezes from 9 to 19 mph, making for choppy, lumpy, and poor surf. The water temp is 67°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday morning, the 25th of August. The wind swings light from the south at just 3 mph, going cross-offshore, and the ocean cleans right up. The swell is tiny – only 3ft from the NNW with a period of 7 seconds – and the combined swell energy is a weak 63. It’s surfable but very ordinary, and the conditions are described as clean. For a beginner, it might be a paddle, but it’s not a standout.

Then we go back into the muck. From Tuesday afternoon through to the end of the month, the wind picks up again, mostly from the N and NW at 9 to 19 mph, keeping the surf cross-onshore and choppy. Swell heights do build – we see 6ft on Friday the 21st, 7ft on Friday afternoon, and again 7ft on Monday the 31st of August, with combined swell energy climbing into the 600s and 900s – but the wind is just too strong, making it lumpy and messy. These sizes are getting into the intermediate-to-expert zone, but the quality is poor, so it’s not worth paddling out.

The only other day that nudges a little promise is Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. The wind drops to 9 mph from the north, going cross-shore, and the swell is 5ft from the NW with an 8-second period. The combined swell energy is a moderate 312, and the conditions are described as marginal with a slight cross-chop. It’s a possible session for a patient surfer, but nothing to get excited about.

Overall, the standout is the Tuesday morning window on the 25th of August for the cleanest conditions, but it’s tiny. There’s nothing else that really shines. If you’re desperate, that’s your best bet, but don’t expect much. For a point break that’s very consistent, it’s a frustrating run.

Rusty.

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