Estaleiro Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather round, crew. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for Estaleiro Reef over the next couple of weeks.

The first real window of surfable waves kicks off on Wednesday, August 12th. We’re looking at a consistent 3ft SE swell rolling in with a nice, long 12-second period, which is a proper groundswell. The combined swell energy sits at a solid 253 (moderate), and we’ve got light offshore winds from the WNW at 6 mph in the morning. That’s clean. The afternoon shifts to a NNW cross-off, also light. This is clean, fun-sized reef surf. Water temp is around 66°, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Thursday morning, August 13th, gets a bit tricky. Swell still 3ft SE, period stretches to 15 seconds (very long), energy jumps to 374, but we get a light SSE cross-on wind. That’s not ideal – brings a bit of texture. The afternoon gets worse with a 12 mph SE cross-on making it choppy. Probably best to give it a miss. Friday is more of the same – messy cross-onshore conditions with small, weak swell. Not your day.

Now, here’s a decent little window: Saturday, August 15th. Swell builds slightly to 4ft from the ESE, but the period drops to 8 seconds. That’s a shorter period, so not as much grunt, but the morning has a light NNW cross-off breeze, leaving it clean. Afternoon is okay but gets some cross-shore ripples. Still, Saturday morning is worth a paddle.

Sunday, August 16th is a write-off – onshore wind and poor conditions. Then Monday, August 17th morning looks good. Swell pushes to 5ft from the E, period 8 seconds, and we get clean cross-off winds from the NNW at 6 mph. Energy is 362 (moderate). That’s solid, punchy reef waves, though the short period means it’ll be a bit more walled up. Still, a good session. Afternoon gets wind-affected.

The next standout is Thursday, August 20th. You’ll want to get on it early. The morning brings a clean 3ft SSE swell with an 11-second period, and glassy offshore winds from the W at 3 mph. Combined energy is 359 (moderate) and it’s clean as a whistle. That’s a proper window.

Sunday, August 23rd afternoon is worth a mention, but it’s for experts only. Swell jumps to 7ft from the SSE, period 12 seconds, and the energy rockets to a massive 1415 (strong). Winds are light onshore from the E, but that’s a lot of power hitting the reef. Paddle out if you know what you’re doing, but it’s too big for almost everyone.

Then we get Tuesday, August 25th – absolute gem. Morning is flat calm, glassy, with a 4ft SE swell and a 15-second period. That’s groundswell at its finest. Energy is 464 (moderate). This is a point-break style, long-period wave that will reel down the reef beautifully. Eyes on this one.

Wednesday, August 26th morning is another big one: 7ft from the SSE, period 8 seconds, and it’s glassy. Energy is 1021 (strong). Again, this is expert territory – too big for most. The afternoon settles back to more manageable 4ft.

We end the run on Thursday, August 27th with a small, glassy morning – 2ft SE, 11-second period, energy 140 (weak). Nice if you’re after a longboard, but nothing special.

Best bet overall? Tuesday, August 25th morning. Glassy, clean, gorgeous 15-second groundswell at 4ft. That’s the one you circle on the calendar. Saturday, August 15th morning and Thursday, August 20th morning are also solid runners-up.

- Rusty

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