Porto Batel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next few weeks at Porto Batel. It’s a pretty quiet outlook, I gotta be honest. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf with onshore or cross-off winds that just aren’t doing us any favours. The water’s sitting at 67°, which is a touch cooler than average for this time of year, but nothing that’ll keep you out of the water.

The first real chance to get wet doesn’t show up until Saturday, the 8th of August. Saturday morning brings a tiny 2ft swell from the north, with a short 8-second period. The combined swell energy is weak (75), and with a light cross-off breeze, it’ll be clean enough for a log, but it’s very ordinary. That afternoon, the wind swings more cross-shore and the waves drop to 2ft – it’s not looking good.

Sunday morning the 9th has a little 1ft groundswell from the NNW with a longer 11-second period. The energy is still weak (83), and it’s clean, but there’s just no power. By the afternoon, it gets messy with a short-period 3ft wave.

From Monday the 10th all the way through to Friday the 14th, it’s a grim run. We’ve got days of weak, short-period swell in the 1ft to 3ft range, with moderate cross-off winds. The energy readings are all below 100, mostly in the 60s and 70s. Honestly, you’re better off doing something else.

We get a little bump of energy on Saturday the 15th, with a 4ft NNW swell, but the period is a super short 6 seconds, and the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-off. The energy is moderate (196), but the wave quality is poor. The same goes for Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th – 5ft swells, short periods, and fresh winds. It’s all chop and no hope.

Now, here’s the one moment that gets a bit interesting. Tuesday, the 18th of August. The morning brings a solid 8ft NNW swell with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps right up to a very strong 1037. That’s a proper swell for the experts. The wind is a fresh cross-off. But, it’s a big, powerful lump (over 8ft). That said, the wave comment calls it “marginal”, so the quality is questionable. This is an exposed point, so it’ll get the full force, but it might be a windy, blown-out mess. The afternoon drops to 7ft but the wind cranks up to 40 km/h – that’s kite-surfing territory, not good for a paddle.

Wednesday the 19th still has some size (6ft) but the wind is still too strong, at 25-30 km/h. The energy is strong (531), but it’s not clean.

The last faint glimmer is Thursday the 20th morning, with a 4ft NNW swell, energy at 154, and a light 10 km/h breeze. It’s clean, but the comment says “very ordinary.” After that, the swell fades right off to nothing.

So, the standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday the 18th of August for the sheer size. If you’re a very experienced surfer and you don’t mind some wind, that’s the biggest wave on offer. For everyone else, it’s a long wait for very little. The whole first week is a write-off, and the second week is just a short burst of big, messy swell.

Rusty.

Read more