Guarda do Embau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right from the start, it's pretty grim out there at Guarda do Embau (Guardado-Embau). The weekend's a total washout with small, weak, and bumpy waves. Saturday's swell is barely 4ft with a short 6-second period, and the cross-shore wind has it all chopped up. You're looking at a couple of days of sitting on the beach watching the horizon do nothing. We're talking a dry spell of at least two days before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

Come Monday the 14th, the sea starts to breathe a little. We've got a clean 4ft of south swell at 11 seconds, and the light offshore wind is a welcome change. The energy's still moderate, but it's a start. Tuesday morning the 15th is looking like the pick of this early run – glassy conditions and a clean 3ft of south swell at 10 seconds. It's small, but it'll be fun on a longboard.

Then things get messy again. Wednesday the 16th sees the swell bump up to 5ft, but that 7-second period is junk and the onshore wind will have it all over the place. The energy's climbing though, there's some push out there. The rest of that week just fades away into tiny, washed-out leftovers. Nothing worth getting excited about.

There's a brief flash in the pan on Sunday the 20th with a clean 4ft at SSE, but it's inconsistent and fades fast. Then we hit a quiet patch. It's not until the 22nd that things properly wake up. That morning, a proper 8ft south groundswell at 10 seconds rolls in, and the combined energy goes ballistic – a strong reading. It's a solid step up from the dribble we've been seeing, but the cross-onshore wind means it's going to be a battle. Technically it's a bigger swell, but it's not going to be pretty.

Now, the real standout. The morning of Tuesday the 24th is the one to circle. The charts are showing a clean 7ft of south swell at 10 seconds, the wind is offshore and light, and the energy is pumping. This is proper surf. It's a touch over the beginner-friendly mark, but for anyone with a bit of experience, this is the best wave of the whole forecast. The following morning, Wednesday the 25th, is also promising – glassy conditions with a 6ft south-southeast swell at a long 13 seconds. That long period means it'll have some serious juice to it, and it should be draining nicely down the river mouth. This is another genuine opportunity for a good session.

The last few days of the window settle back down into the 3-4ft range with moderate energies. The period stays long, which is nice, but the size drops off. There's still something to surf, but the magic of those two mornings at the end of the month is what you should be aiming for.

Overall, it's a slow start with a whole lot of nothing, but there are two quality windows that stand out a mile: the 24th and the morning of the 25th. Those are the sessions to plan around. The rest is just filling time.

Rusty

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