Porta do Sol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks at the one spot we’ve got on the radar.

The forecast period starts with a real slow grind. There’s barely a ripple to start, and it’s going to take a solid week before we see anything worth paddling out for. The first decent chance doesn't pop up until Wednesday the 12th, so we're looking at a gap of a couple of days with nothing to recommend.

We’ve got a sheltered little number called Porta do Sol (Madeira) on the list. It’s a beach and point setup that rarely breaks, which should already tell you we're not dealing with a reliable workhorse. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, about 70°F, but that’s just a bonus detail.

The standout window, and I mean the only real standout, shapes up for Tuesday the 25th of August. The early morning is where it’s at. We’re looking at a clean 5ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 15 seconds – that’s proper long-period groundswell energy, the kind that wraps in with some real punch. The combined energy is strong (1083), so there’s plenty of power. The wind is glassy, dead calm, so the surface is going to be like a mirror. This is a rare treat for a spot that’s usually inconsistent. The afternoon sees a drop-off and a bit of a cross-onshore breeze creep in, so the morning session is your only window. The swell is pushing 5ft, which is manageable for a solid intermediate but might start to feel a bit much for beginners.

Before that, the week prior is a lot of ‘maybe’ and ‘not quite’. Wednesday the 12th offers a glassy morning with 5ft SSE swell (580 combined energy) – it’s surfable and clean, but nothing special. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th mornings are also glassy with clean 4ft to 4ft swell, offering small but tidy waves. Saturday the 15th morning stays glassy with 4ft swell, but the afternoon gets blown out with a moderate cross-onshore breeze.

A full week later, on Friday the 21st of August, we get another glassy morning with a tiny 2ft swell and a long 14-second period. The combined energy is moderate (408), so it’s small but has some shape. That’s about as good as the second week gets, and it’s still a far cry from the 25th.

Outside of that Tuesday the 25th morning, the rest is mostly junk. A lot of poor conditions, cross-onshore winds, and tiny, weak swell. For a spot that rarely breaks, this is a pretty typical blank run. The one morning on the 25th is the only time I’d be marking the calendar.

Rusty.

Read more