Estaleiro Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Estaleiro Reef.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper session. There’s a real lack of quality on the cards, with a lot of poor conditions and a lot of time with nothing worth paddling out for. The first decent chance doesn’t show up until Wednesday morning, September 9th.

That Wednesday morning is the standout of the whole outlook. You’ve got a clean 4ft swell coming from the east with a light offshore wind from the northwest. That’s proper, clean conditions for the reef. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about 2° warmer than average, so nothing too weird, just a touch on the mild side. The combined swell energy is moderate at 268, and the period is a middling 8 seconds, so it won’t be a groundswell classic, but with that offshore wind and a reef setup, it’ll offer the best shape and cleanest faces you’ll find in this stretch. This is the one to aim for.

Before that, from Sunday the 6th through Tuesday the 8th, it’s mostly junk. Cross-on winds, lumpy surf, and small, weak energy. Monday morning the 7th has a bit of size at 5ft but it’s cross-shore with wind ripples and only scores as marginal. Not worth it. Tuesday morning the 8th is clean but tiny at 2ft.

After that Wednesday morning highlight, things go downhill again pretty fast. Wednesday afternoon the 9th gets cross-shore and messy. Thursday the 10th offers a couple of windows: Thursday afternoon sees a glassy 2ft swell from the southeast with a long period of 15 seconds, and combined energy of 296. That’s a clean, very long period groundswell, but it’s tiny. It’s more of a longboard cruise than a proper session. Friday the 11th afternoon turns glassy with 3ft from the east-northeast, 8-second period, but the energy is low at 140. Ordinary but rideable.

Saturday the 12th afternoon brings the next real highlight: a clean 3ft swell from the southeast with a 10-second period and a strong 391 combined energy. Offshore wind from the northwest, clean faces. That’s a good little window, and it’s worth keeping an eye on. The long period (15 seconds) swells on the 19th and 20th look promising on paper, with combined energy of 443 and 379, but the winds are cross-on or cross-shore, and the conditions are described as poor. That’s frustrating, because a reef loves a long period groundswell, but not when it’s chopped up.

The rest of the run from the 13th through the 21st is a write-off. Cross-on winds, onshore winds, rain, and poor surf quality. The energy is often moderate, but the wind just kills it. This is a reef, so when it’s clean, it’s special, but when it’s messy, it’s just not worth it. There’s a long gap from the 13th to the 21st with nothing worth recommending.

So, bottom line: if you want the best wave of this outlook, you’re looking at Wednesday morning, September 9th, with clean 4ft east swell and offshore wind at Estaleiro Reef. Saturday afternoon the 12th is your backup. Don’t bother with the rest.

Rusty.

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