Porto Batel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Porto Batel. Looks like we’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s a couple of windows where it’ll be worth suiting up.

Overall Pattern: The first week is a mixed bag of small, clean but underpowered swell, with a definite pick-up in size and energy heading into the second week. The real standout sits right at the start of the period, with a solid morning session on Monday 27 July. After that, the surf fades, with a long stretch of pretty ordinary, weak conditions from Thursday afternoon right through to the end of the first week. The second week sees a big jump in size, but it comes with stronger winds, making it a bit of a battle.

Monday 27 July Morning: This is your best bet. Porto Batel is waking up to a clean 4ft swell from the NNW, with a period of 7 seconds. The wind is glassy from the NE, which is a major positive – it’ll be smooth as silk out there. The combined energy is sitting at a moderate 236 (moderate). It’s a point break, so it handles the direction well, and the conditions are set for a really fun session. Crowds are *sometimes* a thing here, but with conditions this good, you might have a few buddies out. It’s a solid, intermediate-friendly wave. Water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Monday 27 July Afternoon: The wind swings to the WNW and picks up, creating a cross-shore chop. The swell drops to 3ft, and the period stretches to 11 seconds. The quality drops off fast. It’s a bit of a ghost town out there by the afternoon.

Tuesday 28 July Morning: A better morning than the afternoon before. Swell bumps up to 4ft from the NNW (10 seconds), and the wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNW. It’s clean, with moderate energy (381). A solid option if you missed Monday morning, but it’s not quite the standout.

Wednesday 29 July & Thursday 30 July: The surf runs out of steam. Swell heights drop to 1ft – 3ft, with low energy (147 down to 60). The wind stays cross-off, but it’s just too weak to get excited about. A couple of days to rest the arms.

Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August: A bit of a pick-up in size (3ft – 5ft), but the period is short and wind is moderate. The energy climbs back to moderate levels (290 on Saturday morning), but the quality is poor overall. The wind is cross-off, but it’s a bit too breezy for the size.

Monday 3 August to Saturday 9 August: A long, lean stretch. Swell stays tiny (1ft – 3ft) and the energy is weak (43 – 136). The wind is constant, but it’s a flat spell. Not much to report.

Sunday 9 August & Monday 10 August Morning: Here come the big waves. The swell jumps to 4ft Sunday morning, then 8ft on Monday morning. The period is short (8-10 seconds), and the energy gets strong (731 – 1017). The problem is the wind. It’s a strong cross-offshore from the N at 19-22 mph. This is a powerful, messy combination. The 8ft+ waves are expert-only territory, and the wind will make it lumpy. For a point break, this is a challenging one. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly.

Tuesday 11 August Morning: The biggest swell of the outlook hits: 8ft from the NNW with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 1017 (very strong wave energy). This is a big, powerful, straight-up close-out shorebreak unless you’re on a jet ski. The wind is a strong cross-off from the N at 22 mph. Experts only, and even then, it’s a battle. Not a day for the average surfer.

So, to sum it up: Monday morning (27 July) is the clear winner. Get out there early for that glassy, clean, 4ft swell. After that, it’s a long wait for the next real opportunity, which is the big, wind-affected swell on the 9th and 10th of August, which is more of a challenge than a pleasure.

Rusty.

Read more