Nazare Big Wave Challenge Gets Yellow Alert, Could Run Saturday in Giant Waves
70-foot plus waves predicted for Portuguese big wave tow surfing competition.
Surf Forecasts:

The surf forecast for Porth Ceriad over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Dec 16) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Porth Ceriad in the next 12 days are 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Dec 20) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Dec 16) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (GMT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Tue 16th Dec) | 1ft (0.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sun 21st Dec) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 20th Dec) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Porth Ceriad over the next 12 days.
Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 11°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Tue afternoon, gales from the WNW by Thu afternoon). | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 10°C on Fri afternoon, min 5°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SSE on Sat morning, light winds from the NNE by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 16 | Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | |||||||||||||||
| AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Rating (10 max) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | SW | WSW | WSW | SW | SW | SW | WSW | WSW | WSW | WSW | WSW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW |
| Period(s) (?) | 8 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Wave (?)Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 42 | 38 | 44 | 805 | 1373 | 817 | 478 | 428 | 730 | 1014 | 430 | 231 | 955 | 872 | 328 | 351 | 299 | 107 | 29 | 16 | 16 | |
Wind (km/h) | NNW | WNW | S | S | S | SW | SSE | S | SW | WSW | SW | S | SSE | SSE | ENE | NNE | SSW | SSE | NE | W | SE |
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | off | cross- off | on | on | on | cross- on | on | on | cross- on | cross- on | cross- on | on | on | cross- on | cross- off | cross- off | cross- on | cross- on | glass | glass | cross- on |
High Tide / height (m) | 5:54PM 3.44 | 6:18AM 3.53 | 6:37PM 3.56 | 6:57AM 3.71 | 7:15PM 3.67 | 7:33AM 3.86 | 7:51PM 3.76 | 8:08AM 3.98 | 8:26PM 3.81 | 8:43AM 4.07 | 9:01PM 3.82 | 9:19AM 4.12 | 9:36PM 3.80 | ||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 12:38PM 1.17 | 12:59AM 1.02 | 1:23PM 1.01 | 1:39AM 0.93 | 2:03PM 0.86 | 2:16AM 0.84 | 2:41PM 0.74 | 2:53AM 0.77 | 3:19PM 0.66 | 3:29AM 0.72 | 3:57PM 0.63 | 4:06AM 0.72 | 4:36PM 0.64 | ||||||||
Tuesday 16 | Wednesday 17 | Thursday 18 | Friday 19 | Saturday 20 | Sunday 21 | Monday 22 | |||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | 8:23 | - | - | 8:25 | - | - | 8:25 | - | - | 8:26 | - | - | 8:26 | - | - | 8:26 | - | - | 8:27 | - | - |
| Sunset | - | 4:01 | - | - | 4:01 | - | - | 4:01 | - | - | 4:02 | - | - | 4:02 | - | - | 4:02 | - | - | 4:04 | - |
Rain (mm) | - | - | - | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 13 | 5 | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| Temp. °C | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Feels °C (?) | 5 | 6 | -1 | -3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | -2 | -1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 |

70-foot plus waves predicted for Portuguese big wave tow surfing competition.

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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Porth Ceriad surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
The above surf forecast table for Porth Ceriad provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Porth Ceriad can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Porth Ceriad surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Porth Ceriad) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Porth Ceriad may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Porth Ceriad is 29 km (18 miles) from Porthmadog. If you plan a holiday in Lleyn Peninsula, look for hotels and other accommodation in Porthmadog. Porthmadog has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

