Porto Batel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Porto Batel for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a rough start. Saturday morning the 1st of August, we’ve got a weak 3ft swell from the NNW with a short, useless 6 second period. The combined energy is only 184, and even with a clean cross-offshore breeze, the waves are just poor. That’s the story for days. Through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the 7th, it’s all small, weak, and barely surfable. The best you’ll see in that stretch is a 2ft wave on Sunday morning the 2nd with a 9 second period, but the energy is a measly 90, and the conditions are "very ordinary." A whole week of that, with nothing worth paddling out for.

The water temperature here is about average for the time of year, no real anomaly to speak of, so just your standard chilly Atlantic winter.

The first real sign of life comes on Saturday morning the 8th of August. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the west, with a 9 second period, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 208. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the north, so the face will be smooth. The forecast says "expect good surf conditions," and I’m going with that. It’s not huge, but it’s clean and the best we’ve seen in a week. Porto Batel is a point break, so it handles that west swell nicely, and the NNE-optimal direction isn’t too far off. Crowds can pop up here sometimes, but on a Saturday morning with only a moderate wave, it shouldn’t be a problem.

The real standout, though, is Sunday morning the 9th of August. That’s the one. A 5ft swell from the NNW, still a 9 second period, but look at that combined energy – 500. That’s a solid, moderate-to-strong push of energy. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the north at 15 mph. The waves will be a proper chest-to-head-high point break wave. The notes say "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions," but with that energy and the clean wind, it’s the best call in the whole 16 days. It’s a bit strong for beginners, but for an intermediate surfer, this is the session to aim for.

After that, we get a slow fade. Monday the 10th holds some 4-5ft waves, but the period drops to 7-8 seconds and the energy drops off. By Tuesday the 11th, we’re back to 3ft and weak. The second week gets a bit of a bump around Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, with a 7-7ft swell from the NNW, but the wind is a strong 22-25 mph cross-offshore. That’s a lot of wind, and while the waves could be big (too big for beginners, for sure), those conditions are marginal and the energy is just moderate. It’s a distant, less certain prospect.

So, for the pick of the period: Sunday morning the 9th of August. Be there. The rest of the window is a test of patience.

Rusty.

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