Estaleiro Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Estaleiro Reef. It’s a reef break, intermediate-level, and it’s inconsistent – it doesn’t fire all the time, so when it lines up, you’ve gotta pay attention. The water temp’s sitting about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

The first week is a bit of a mixed bag, with mostly small, short-period swell and some clean windows. Saturday the 1st kicks off with a tiny 2ft easterly swell and a light offshore breeze – it’s clean, but weak, with combined energy of just 41 – barely a ripple. Not worth paddling out for. The next few mornings, Sunday the 2nd through to Wednesday the 5th, see the swell bumping up to 3ft–4ft from the east-northeast, and with light offshore or cross-offshore winds, the surface stays clean. The energy picks up a bit, reaching 137 on Sunday morning, but it’s still short-period (7 seconds) and very ordinary. There’s a standout on Wednesday the 12th – that’s the one to circle. The swell jumps to 6ft from the northeast, with a light offshore wind from the west. Combined energy hits 622, and the call is “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s solid, powerful reef surf, and the offshore wind will keep it clean. The period is short at 7 seconds, but for a reef, the shape should still be fun. Later that afternoon, the wind goes glassy, and the swell drops to 4ft, but the energy is still 295 – a nice, mellow session if you’re around. The rest of the second week is pretty ordinary. The 9th and 10th see a long-period southeast swell (16 seconds) but it’s ruined by strong cross-onshore winds – 30 km/h on the Sunday, with energy over 900, but it’ll be a choppy, blown-out mess. Not for paddling. The 15th and 16th have some size (4ft–5ft) but onshore winds and rain kill it. Honestly, the best on offer is Wednesday the 12th morning. That’s the one. The reef, the size, the offshore wind – it’s a proper window. The other days are mostly small and weak, or blown out.

Rusty

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