Playa de Campelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

So, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag on the horizon here at Playa de Campelo. The first couple of days are a total write-off – Sunday the 30th is a mess with poor surf, a messy cross-shore wind, and only 6ft of bumpy, weak WNW swell. The water is sitting at 62° but it feels *much colder than normal* for this time of year, a solid 4° below average. Not a good start.

The good news is that the real standout of the whole 16-day window comes right on the back of that. Monday the 31st morning is the one to circle. The wind drops to a complete glass-off, just 5 km/h (3 mph), and it’s coming from the NW – that’s offshore for the break. The swell pushes up to a clean 7ft from the NW with a period of 10 seconds, giving you proper waves. The combined energy is a solid 936 (moderate to strong), and it’s glassy. That’s as good as it gets. The afternoon goes a bit cross-on, so get on it early.

After that, we go into a real dry spell. Tuesday the 1st of September through to the end of the first week is mostly small, messy, or just plain poor. The swell drops off, the wind picks up from the NE, and the scores are low. There’s a flicker on Friday morning the 4th with a 5ft, 11-second NW swell and light cross-shore wind, but it’s marginal at best. Then Saturday the 5th has a bigger 6ft NW swell, but the wind is howling at 30 km/h (19 mph) cross-off – it’ll be clean but you’ll be fighting a fresh breeze all session.

The second week starts to look a little more promising. Monday the 7th of September morning is tiny, but the afternoon turns glassy again with a light W wind and a 5ft WNW swell. That’s a nice, ordinary session. Tuesday the 8th morning has a clean 6ft WNW swell with a cross-off breeze, decent.

Then we get into bigger water again. Monday the 14th of September morning is a true standout for the second week. The wind is dead calm, glassy off the ESE, and the swell is a solid 7ft from the NNW with an 11-second period. The energy is strong at 951, and the forecast says “very good surf conditions.” That’s a big call, and it’s the one to chase if you can wait. The two days before that, Sunday the 13th, are also pumping with a 8ft NNW swell, but it’s a bit rougher with scattered rain showers on the afternoon session. The wind stays clean in the morning though.

Overall, the standout is undeniably Monday 31st August morning for the glassy, clean, 7ft NW swell. For the second week, Monday 14th September morning is the one to aim for with that glassy 7ft NNW swell. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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