Matosinhos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is your local surf outlook for Matosinhos, brought to you by Rusty.

Right now, the forecast is looking pretty average overall. There aren’t any huge standouts that will get your heart pumping, but there are a few windows where things line up nicely. The first week has a couple of mornings that are worth a look, but the afternoons get wrecked by strong cross-onshore winds, especially when the wind cranks out of the northwest. The second week is a bit of a write-off for quality, with a lot of poor conditions and short-period swell.

We start off on Thursday morning, August 13th. The swell is a small 3 ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is glassy out of the west at just 3 mph. The water temperature is about average for this time of year. Wave energy is moderate (168). It’s surfable, but nothing special. By the afternoon, the wind swings NW at 9 mph, turning cross-on and making things choppy and poor.

Friday morning, August 14th, is the best of the early window. The swell picks up slightly to 3 ft from the west-northwest, with a period of 9 seconds. It’s glassy again, with NW winds at just 3 mph. Wave energy is moderate (284). This will be clean and fun for a beginner-friendly session at Matosinhos. Crowds are often here, so expect company. However, Friday afternoon sets in with a strong 16 mph cross-onshore and it turns to junk.

Saturday morning, August 15th, brings a bit more size—5 ft from the northwest—but the period drops to 8 seconds, and it's a cross-shore wind from the north-northwest at 6 mph. The conditions are marginal. This is right at the threshold where it might be a bit much for absolute beginners. The afternoon sees the wind screaming at 22 mph from the NW, making it a total mess—better suited for kiting than paddle surfing.

Sunday morning, August 16th, has a cleaner look with a cross-offshore breeze from the northeast at 6 mph. Swell is 4 ft from the NW, period 8 seconds. The wave energy is moderate (163). It’s surfable and fairly clean, a decent option if you're desperate. The rest of the mornings in the first week (Monday 17th, Tuesday 18th) are similar: small, clean early, then blown out by lunchtime.

Now, looking ahead to Thursday, August 20th. This is the real standout in the entire 16-day run. Thursday morning shows a 5 ft swell from the northwest, with a period jumping up to 11 seconds—that’s a proper groundswell. The wind is glassy out of the west-southwest at just 3 mph. Wave energy is strong (470). This will be the cleanest, most powerful surf of the period. The longer period means better-shaped waves, but at a beach and reef setup like Matosinhos, it can make the waves break a bit straighter. Still, this morning looks excellent and is easily the pick of the bunch. Crowds are likely on a day like this. The afternoon, as usual, gets messy.

After that, the forecast goes downhill. Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd mornings are marginal or poor, with short-period swell and unfriendly winds. Sunday 23rd has no wind but almost no swell—just 2 ft. From August 24th through to August 28th, the conditions remain poor or marginal, with small, weak swell and cross-onshore winds dominating. There’s nothing worth getting excited about in that last week.

So, to wrap it up: the best surf is Friday morning the 14th for a clean beginner session, and Thursday morning the 20th for the best quality and power of the whole run. Make the most of those windows, because the rest is mostly a waiting game.

Rusty.

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