Coxos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – we're looking at a pretty disappointing run at Coxos (Portugal) for the next couple of weeks. This is a world-class reef break that usually handles some size, but the wind is just not playing ball.

Right now, the water temp is sitting around 68°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first half of the outlook is a bit of a write-off. From Saturday the 1st through to Tuesday the 11th, the surf is small and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making for a choppy, messy mess. You'll see a little spike in the combined wave energy mid-week around the 6th (388 energy), but it's still cross-onshore and lumpy, with 4ft of wind-affected swell. Not worth paddling out for.

Then there's a bit of a gap where things get a little better but still not great. On Tuesday the 11th, the wind drops right off – a slight air with a glassy feel – and we get 3ft of swell from the NNW. But it's a short period of 7 seconds, so it'll be weak and gutless. The combined energy is moderate (184), but it's still listed as "marginal."

The real standout, if you can call it that, comes on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. The swell jumps up to 8ft to 10ft from the NNW, with a combined energy reading of 998 and 976 – that's very strong energy. The period is still short at 8-9 seconds, so it's a windswell, not a proper groundswell, but it's got some grunt. The wind is onshore, but only a gentle to light breeze, so it'll be choppy, but not as messy as the previous week. However, at 10ft, this is strictly for experts only. This is a reef break, so expect heavy, powerful, and potentially dangerous waves. The crowds here are often packed, so be ready for that if you're a local.

Saturday, August 15th, morning is your best bet: 10ft from the NNW with a light onshore breeze. It's a long way out, so treat it as promising but not a sure thing. The later afternoon on the 15th and the morning of the 16th are also solid options at 8ft, but the wind picks up a bit on Sunday afternoon.

If you're not an expert, don't even think about that last weekend. For the rest of the time, it's a pretty grim outlook. The setup here is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially with those strong cross-onshore winds.

Rusty.

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