
Surf Forecasts:
Costa Nova surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, NNW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, NW swell with 2,544 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Costa Nova this week:
The surf forecast for Costa Nova over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Costa Nova in the next 16 days are 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Costa Nova over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's brewing for Costa Nova. It’s gonna be a bit of a slow burner at the start, but there are a few absolute crackers in the second week that make it all worth the wait.
The first real session kicks off on Saturday the 12th. The morning's not much to shout about, with a weak 3ft NNW swell and glassy conditions, making it surfable but flat. By the afternoon, forget it, the wind turns cross-on and the place turns into chop city. Sunday the 13th is where the first proper pulse arrives. A clean 4ft NW groundswell, with a 12-second period and decent energy, and glassy winds in the morning – that’s your first real window for some lined-up waves.
Monday the 14th is another solid early-morning option. Glassy again with a 3ft NW swell. The wind stays kind, so you’ll be getting clean, fun waves. The afternoons through this whole first week are pretty much all write-offs thanks to the cross-on breeze, so be on the water at first light.
Then things go a bit quiet through Tuesday and Wednesday, with small, choppy waves. Don't bother.
Now, the excitement starts Wednesday the 16th morning. We've got a chunky 8ft swell from the NNW, with huge wave energy (1281). That’s a lot of juice, but the wind is moderate cross-shore and the period is a short 8 seconds, so it'll be a messy, powerful beast. Only for the experienced, and even then, it's a bit of a battle. The wind worsens that afternoon, so stay out.
The true standout of the whole outlook is Thursday the 17th. We score a clean 6ft swell from the NNW, a nice 9-second period, and good energy (765). The real beauty is the wind: a light, cross-offshore breeze from the NE. That’s the dream for Costa Nova, giving you clean, groomed walls. This is the best session on offer.
If you miss that, hold out for Saturday the 19th. The morning is a total glass-off, zero wind, and a solid 5ft NW groundswell with a 13-second period. That long-period groundswell combined with perfect glass is pure magic. The waves will have serious power and perfect faces. A dead-set standout.
Sunday the 20th morning is another corker – glassy again with a 5ft NW swell. Clean, consistent, and fun. Monday the 21st morning also looks good with a 6ft NW swell, though the wind is a light cross-shore rather than true glass, so the surface might have a tiny ripple.
After that, the juice fades into smaller, wind-affected slop through the middle of the following week. There's one last gasp on Sunday the 27th morning with a 6ft NNW swell and glassy conditions, but the period is short at 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit lumpy and close-outy.
So, to call it: the first few days have some decent early windows, but the real best bets are the Thursday the 17th morning and that Saturday the 19th morning glass-off. Those are the ones to remember. The water temp is about 66°, which is pretty standard for the season.
See you in the water.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Sun morning, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed night, min 17°C on Tue night). Mainly near gales. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NW 14 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
102 | 81 | 130 | 437 | 494 | 478 | 198 | 137 | 77 | 41 | 124 | 1334 | 1108 | 1371 | 1515 | 815 | 772 | 931 | 421 | 354 | 2544 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:53PM3.38m | 5:12AM3.18m | 5:27PM3.28m | 5:43AM3.11m | 6:00PM3.13m | 6:15AM3.00m | 6:32PM2.94m | 6:46AM2.85m | 7:05PM2.73m | 7:21AM2.69m | 7:43PM2.52m | 8:06AM2.52m | 8:46PM2.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:25AM0.71m | 10:50PM0.70m | 11:00AM0.73m | 11:23PM0.77m | 11:35AM0.80m | 11:55PM0.89m | 12:10PM0.93m | 00:28AM1.04m | 12:47PM1.10m | 1:04AM1.22m | 1:29PM1.29m | 1:46AM1.40m | 2:21PM1.47m | 2:42AM1.57m | |||||||
7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
— | 7:50 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | WNW 11 | — | — | — | NW 9 | NW 10 | SW 12 | S 12 | NNW 9 | NW 13 | NW 14 |
102 | 69 | 64 | 437 | 494 | 478 | 198 | 137 | 77 | 41 | 48 | — | — | — | 853 | 815 | 6 | 3 | 421 | 315 | 2544 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | NW 16 | NW 14 | W 9 | W 9 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | S 12 | — | — | NW 14 | NW 17 | — |
75 | 10 | 130 | 41 | 6 | — | 64 | 71 | 38 | 34 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 72 | 179 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | NW 12 | NW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 12 | — | NNW 5 | S 11 | W 13 | WNW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 20 | SW 15 | — |
7 | 6 | 37 | 8 | 6 | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 8 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | — | — | — | — | NW 2 | NW 3 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | — | NNW 10 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 9 | — |
— | 81 | 54 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 124 | 1334 | 1108 | 1371 | 1515 | — | 772 | 931 | — | 354 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 118 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 32 | 0 | 221 | 52 | 52 | 654 | 389 | 538 | 218 | 268 | 32 | 238 | 76 | 76 | 238 | 76 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Beira | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Costa Nova Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Costa Nova provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Costa Nova can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Costa Nova surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Costa Nova) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Costa Nova may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Costa Nova is 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Ilhavo. If you plan a holiday in Beira, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ilhavo. Ilhavo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










