Galheta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks are gonna be a real mixed bag here. We’ve got a long stretch of flat or just plain messy conditions ahead, so you’ll need patience, but there’s a couple of windows worth looking at if you time it right. The water temp at Galheta is around 66°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, no major shift there.

The first real chance for anything comes on the morning of Thursday, August 20th. We’re looking at a small 3ft swell out of the east, with a period around 8 seconds – so it’s a short-period wind swell, nothing to write home about. But the wind is light offshore from the north, which will keep the surface clean. The combined energy is just under moderate at 115, so it’ll be weak but rideable. It’s a marginal call, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your best early look.

Things then go pretty much flat or junk from Thursday afternoon through to the end of the month. From the 22nd to the 27th of August, we’re looking at a lot of days with no real swell at all. A few mornings have clean conditions with offshore breezes, but there’s simply no wave energy to work with. It’s a frustrating stretch.

Then on Friday the 28th of August, we get a bit of a pulse. Swell picks up to 4ft from the east-northeast, period around 8-9 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 279 – that’s a solid moderate push. But the wind is onshore from the south, fresh at 19 mph on the morning and still onshore in the afternoon. That’s going to make it lumpy and pretty ordinary. Not the day to get excited about.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th see the swell drop back again into the 3ft to 4ft range, but the real standout is Sunday morning, August 30th. The wind goes completely glassy – dead calm from the north, zero knots. The swell is 3ft out of the east-northeast with a 9-second period, and the energy sits at 169. That’s clean, small, and workable. For a wave that’s usually exposed to a south-southeast swell, this east-northeast direction isn’t perfect, but with glassy conditions, you can make almost anything fun. This is your best option in the entire outlook. The crowd factor at Galheta can be an issue sometimes, so expect company if it’s looking good.

Following that, we roll into September. The morning of Tuesday, September 1st, sees a bigger push of 6ft from the east-northeast with a 9-second period, and energy at 572 – that’s solidly in the moderate-to-strong range. But the wind is cross-onshore from the east-southeast at 9 mph, which will leave it fairly choppy. The afternoon is similar but with lighter wind. It’s still messy, but the size might get the heart rate up for experienced surfers, even if the quality isn’t there.

After that, the swell fades back into the 2ft to 4ft range through the 2nd and 3rd of September, with onshore or cross-onshore winds throughout. It’s a slow fade back to flatness.

So, to sum it up: the only real standout worth chasing is the glassy morning on Sunday, August 30th. It’ll be small but clean. If you need a bigger wave, the Tuesday morning of September 1st has the size, but it’ll be messy and more for the experienced crew.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the wind shifts.

Rusty

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