Porto Batel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for Porto Batel.

First things first, water’s sitting at 20°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. No surprises there.

Right now, don’t even bother suiting up for the next few days. The wind is a stiff cross-off, but the swell is short-period and weak, with combined energy around 254 (moderate). It’s a messy, marginal setup for Sunday the 30th, and Monday the 31st is even worse, with scores that say poor surf. Tuesday the 1st of September shows a bit more size, up to 6ft, but that wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-off, keeping things too lumpy to get excited about.

We’ve got a real dry spell here. The only flicker of hope comes on Wednesday the 2nd of September morning. The swell drops to 5ft, the wind eases to a gentle 9 mph cross-off, and the combined energy jumps to 534 (moderate). The period is a short 7 seconds though, so it’ll be a bit fat and weak. Still, it’s the cleanest window we’ve seen all week.

Don’t get your hopes up for the rest of the first week. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are mostly poor or very ordinary. The wind stays cross-off but it’s fresh, and the swell is short and weak.

Now, here’s the one to watch. On Saturday the 5th of September, the morning shows a light cross-shore breeze from the NW at only 6 mph. The swell is 4ft from the NW, period 10 seconds, and combined energy of 506 (moderate). The afternoon gets even more interesting: the swell drops to 3ft but the period stretches out to a very long 14 seconds. That’s real groundswell energy. Combined energy hits 675 (moderate). That long period will make for proper lines, but at a point break like Porto Batel, it should wrap in nicely. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’ll be clean. For a Saturday, crowds are possible here, so get there early.

Sunday the 6th of September morning is the standout. We’ve got 5ft of swell, 11-second period, combined energy of 516 (moderate), and a light 6 mph cross-off breeze from the NNW. This is the cleanest, best-shaped window of the whole forecast. The rating says expect very good conditions. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

After that, it’s all downhill. Monday the 7th through to the end of the forecast on the 14th of September is a long, sad stretch of poor surf. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, the swell is small and weak, and the combined energy drops to two-digit figures like 73 (weak) by the final Monday. The period is short, and the conditions are choppy or stormy. By the second week, it’s dead. There’s nothing worth paddling out for.

So to wrap it up: the best bet is Sunday morning, the 6th of September. Clean, 5ft, long period, light offshore wind. That’s the one. The Saturday beforehand is a decent backup if you’re keen on a long-period groundswell with light wind. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty.

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