Estaleiro Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for our local stretch.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking pretty grim. We've got a long, flat spell ahead with only tiny, weak swell and mostly messy wind. The water temp is sitting at 65°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing special there. The combined wave energy is barely registering, mostly weak readings in the 50-70 range, so don't be expecting any power. There's a few fleeting moments of glassy conditions, but the swell is just too small and weak to get excited about. The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until the morning of Monday, August 11th, and even then, it's a waiting game.

Overall Pattern: A long, dry spell of tiny, poor surf until the second week of August. It's a tough run.

The Long Wait (July 28th to August 10th):
From Tuesday the 28th right through to Sunday the 10th of August, it's a real struggle. The swell is consistently below 3 ft and mostly from the ENE with a short, weak period of 6-7 seconds. The wind is often cross or onshore, and the combined energy is in the gutter – mostly under 100, with a few brief spikes to 174 which is still just moderate energy. The only saving grace is a few glassy periods, like the Wednesday morning (29th), Thursday afternoon (30th) and Monday morning (August 3rd) with a WSW offshore, but you're still looking at waves under 2 ft. It's a great time to check your gear, but not a great time to paddle out.

The First Glimmer (August 11th - 12th):
Now, here's where it gets interesting. The standout window is the morning of Monday, August 11th. We've got a glassy, SSW offshore wind with a clean 4 ft swell from the SSE at 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a solid 287, which is a proper moderate pulse. This is the best call of the whole 16 days, and it's a classic reef-break setup. That light offshore wind will make Estaleiro Reef look clean and inviting. The wave size is just right for the intermediate crew.

Then, the following morning, Tuesday, August 12th, the morning looks promising again with a WSW cross-offshore wind and another 4 ft of swell from the SE, energy at 236. The afternoon on the 12th gets a bit bigger, with a 7 ft swell from the SSE, but a short period of 7 seconds and a cross-offshore wind. At that size, it starts to get a bit too much for the average punter, but the experts might find some punchy ones.

Bottom Line: The best surf is the morning of Monday, August 11th. It's not a huge swell, but with clean conditions and a decent energy, it's the only real standout. The 12th offers a follow-up but be wary of the size increase. The rest of the period is a write-off.

Rusty.

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