Fonte da Telha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Fonte da Telha over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the first week and a half is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a long gap from now with basically nothing worth paddling out for until the morning of Sunday the 16th. The wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the swell is getting chopped to bits. It’s a real bummer, but that’s the way it’s shaping up.

Now, Sunday morning the 16th is our first real chance. The wind goes light offshore from the east at 3 mph, turning the sea surface clean. There’s a small NW swell of 4 ft with a 9-second period, giving us a combined energy of 230 (moderate). It’s not going to be huge, but it’ll be clean and rideable for the beginners and longboarders. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no wetsuit drama yet.

Monday morning the 17th keeps the clean vibes going with glassy conditions and a light SSE wind. The swell drops to 3 ft from the NW, period 9 seconds, and the energy is weak at 116. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. After that, the wind gets messy again and the swell fades right out, leaving us with a long stretch of tiny, windblown dross from the 18th right through to the 24th.

We do get a little spike in size around the 22nd and 23rd, with NW swell hitting 5 ft to 6 ft and energy up around 461 to 469 (moderate), but the wind is a strong cross-shore from the NNW at 16 to 25 mph. The conditions are lumpy and cross-chop, so it is really only going to be interesting for the kite surfers, not for a paddle session.

The next proper glimmer of hope comes on Wednesday morning the 26th of August. A light NNE cross-offshore breeze at 6 mph will clean it up nicely. We’ve got a 3 ft NW swell, but the period is a long 12 seconds, which is proper groundswell. The energy is moderate at 262. That long period will mean better shaped waves, but it’s a beach break, so the sets might be a bit straight and hard to find. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen in a while.

Thursday morning the 27th is glassy again with a light southerly, but the swell is only 3 ft from the NW at 10 seconds. It’s surfable, but ordinary.

Now, here’s the one that has me a little excited, but it’s a long way off. Saturday morning the 29th of August. The combined energy is a massive 1011 (strong) with a 6 ft NW swell, period 12 seconds. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the NW at 9 mph, which is workable. That’s a solid, powerful groundswell. The catch is that 6 ft is getting into the “too big for beginners” territory, and the cross-shore wind will put a slight chop on it. But for the experienced crew, this is the standout window of the whole forecast. It’s a long way out, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed.

To sum it up: Sunday morning the 16th for the clean small stuff, but the real standout is the morning of the 29th of August, if the forecast holds.

Rusty.

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