Matosinhos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this 16-day outlook for the Matosinhos area is a real mess. I’ve scanned the whole window, and honestly, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The surf is tiny, weak, and messy for the vast majority of the time, with a prolonged period of total flatness and poor conditions. It’s one of those stretches where you’re better off waxing your board at home and waiting for the next system.

The first real chance of anything that might get a surfer’s heart rate up doesn’t come until the morning of Friday, 28 August. Before that, you’re looking at nearly two full weeks of junk. We’re talking waist-high or smaller, with short-period, weak windswell. The wind is almost always onshore, cross-onshore, or generally ugly, chopping up whatever little wave there is. There’s a fleeting moment on the morning of Saturday, 16 August, with a clean offshore wind from the east, but the swell is only 3 ft at 8 seconds – just enough for a soft, weak roll on the inside. It’s not a standout.

The same goes for the morning of Monday, 17 August, with a clean cross-offshore breeze, but again, the swell is tiny and weak. The rest of the week is a write-off, with a lot of onshore wind and rain showers.

Then, finally, during the last weekend of the month, we see a pulse of proper energy. The morning of Friday, 28 August, shows a 5 ft swell from the west-northwest, with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy clocks in at 595 (moderate), and the wind is a gentle cross-shore, making for decent conditions. This is the first real glimmer of hope. It’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves and more push, but it can also be a bit tricky on a beach break like Matosinhos, maybe closing out. Still, it’s the best on offer.

The morning of Saturday, 29 August, brings a bigger, stronger pulse: 6 ft from the west-northwest, with a 12-second period. The combined energy jumps to 1073 (strong). The wind is a clean cross-shore from the north. This is a solid, powerful swell, but it’s getting towards the size where it’s more for experienced surfers. The afternoon of that same day sees it pump up to 7 ft at 13 seconds with a huge energy reading of 1435, but that’s ruined by a fresh 35 km/h cross-onshore wind that will make it a churning, lumpy mess. So, the morning of the 29th is your absolute best bet: decent size, clean wind, and real groundswell power.

Outside of that, the water temperature sits at 68°F, which is normal for the time of year – not a concern.

In short, you’ve got a long, painful wait for a very brief window of decent surf. The morning of Saturday, 29 August, is the standout, but even then, it’s not a day for beginners. If you’re a kiter, the afternoons with strong onshore winds and big, messy waves might look interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a lean run.

Rusty.

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