Foz do Lizandro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are gonna be a real test of patience for surfers around here. We're looking at a long, dry spell of marginal conditions before anything close to a proper wave shows its face. Buckle up.

The first stretch, from Wednesday the 9th right through the morning of Friday the 11th, is basically a write-off. We've got no swell to speak of, and a fresh cross-shore wind chopping up what little texture is out there. It's flat and messy; you're better off doing literally anything else.

The first faint glimmer of hope arrives on Saturday the 12th. There's a small bump of 1.6ft, but it’s weak and the wind swings around to a cross-onshore, making it pretty average. Not worth paddling out for unless you're desperate for a splash.

Then, finally, we get our standout. Sunday the 13th morning at Foz do Lizandro (Ericeira) is the pick of the entire forecast. The wind drops to nothing, leaving it glassy, and we see a new NNW groundswell – 3.3ft at a solid 13 seconds. That long-period energy is kicking in, and the combined energy jumps to 381, which is moderate but feels way better than the dribble we've had. It's a river-mouth setup, so that long-period swell is going to line up nicely. The catch? It's a beginner break, and with a light offshore to start, it'll be clean. This is your window. The afternoon sees the swell push to 4.3ft, but the wind goes cross-onshore, so the morning is the time.

Sunday is the peak. After that, it's a slide back into mediocrity. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th have some small swell, but the wind is messy and it's just not clean. The rest of the first week, through to the 18th, gets a bit more energy (up to 3.6ft) but it’s all accompanied by a fresh, lumpy cross-shore wind. Poor quality.

The second week, from the 19th onwards, doesn't offer much either. The swell stays small and weak, and the wind doesn't cooperate. We see another small window on the morning of Monday the 22nd of September with a cross-offshore breeze and a bit of 2.6ft swell, but it's marginal at best. The long-range stuff is promising at times but way too inconsistent and messy to get excited about. No big, clean groundswell on the horizon.

So, the call is simple. You've got one real shot, and that's Sunday morning, the 13th. It’s not huge, but it’s the best on offer by a mile. Everything else is a frustrating lesson in waiting. The water is sitting around 66.4° at the start, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so grab the booties if you've got thin blood.

For the rest of it, the small, wind-blown surf is just a bit of a shame. If the wind keeps up like this when we eventually get any push, the beachies are going to look way more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.

See you out there.

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