Coxos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's coming down the line for this stretch.

Gotta level with you – the next 16 days aren't looking like a surfer's paradise. There's no "must-surf" session that'll have you ripping the wax off your board. The best we can hope for is a couple of windows where the conditions are just barely good enough to get wet. We're in for a long, flat spell of crummy wind and chop.

The first real chance to even paddle out is on Saturday, August 22nd. Coxos is showing a 5-foot swell from the NNW, with a period around 10 seconds. The energy is moderate (484). The wind is a light onshore from the WNW, so it won't be glassy. The call is marginal, tide-dependent stuff. It's a potential early-morning mission, but don't expect much.

Now, Sunday, August 23rd morning has a bit more to offer. We've got a 6-foot swell from the W with an 11-second period, which has that proper groundswell feel. The energy is solid (895). The wind is a fresh offshore from the SSE, and the report says it'll be clean. This is the best window of the whole outlook. The catch? It's a Sunday, and Coxos (Portugal) is a world-class reef that's "often" crowded. Get ready to fight for a wave. The 6-foot range is getting into the "big for a beginner" territory, but for an advanced surfer, that's a quality wave. The water's sitting at 67°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you'll want a thicker suit.

After that Sunday morning, it's back to the same old story. The wind goes onshore, the swell gets short and weak, and the energy drops right off. We're talking about a week of poor surf conditions with constant cross-onshore winds and choppy, lumpy water. The wave energy often dips below 200, which is weak.

The next time we see a spike in size, it's a nasty one. On Friday, August 28th, the swell bumps up to 10 feet from the NW with a 12-second period. That's a massive amount of energy – 2259. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, and the report says "poor surf conditions" and "choppy." That's a washing machine, not a surf break. For kite surfers, that could be a dream, but for paddle surfing, it's a no-go zone. That's expert-only territory at best, and with the wind, it's just ugly.

The rest of the period into the first week of September is a write-off. The swell sticks around 3 to 5 feet, but the period is short (7-8 seconds) and the wind is always cross-onshore. Spots like Coxos (Portugal) will be a frustrating mess of weak, wind-blown waves.

Bottom line: Sunday, August 23rd, morning is your one and only real shot. If you're an advanced surfer and you don't mind the crowds, it's a promising session. Everything else is a hard pass. Bring your patience, because it's going to be a quiet couple of weeks.

Rusty.

Read more