Porto da Cruz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Porto da Cruz. It’s a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, to be honest. The water temp is sittin’ at 74°, a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, so you won’t need the thickest wettie.

We start off with a bit of hope on Sunday morning, the 12th of July. Porto da Cruz is showing some waves around 4ft from the NNW, with a period of 9 seconds. The wind’s light from the WNW, giving us a cross-off breeze, and the combined swell energy reading is 223 – that’s moderate energy. The conditions are described as surfable, but very ordinary. It’s a small window though, because by the afternoon the wind swings NW and goes cross, and the surf quality drops right off.

Monday the 13th looks like the real standout. We’ve got a clean, glassy morning with the wind dropping to zero. Swell is smaller at 3ft from the NNW, with an 8-second period, but that total calm wind is a massive positive – it’ll be clean as a whistle. The energy is weak at 78, but for a beginner-friendly reef break like this, that’s a sweet spot for a longboard or a funboard. The rocks there mean you’ve gotta be careful, but with those clean conditions and a small, friendly wave, it’s a beauty of a session. The afternoon stays glassy too, though it gets cloudy.

Tuesday the 14th holds onto that glassy feel in the morning, with tiny 2ft waves from the north, and by the afternoon it drops even more. Wednesday morning is similar – glassy again with 2ft. But after that, from Thursday the 16th onward, things get a bit dicey. The wind swings onshore and starts pickin’ up, especially from the north, and the wave heights bump up a bit. From Friday the 17th through to the end of the outlook, we’ve got a solid northerly breeze blowing cross-onshore at 9 to 12 mph, with swell building to around 6ft to 7ft from the NE. That’s too big for beginners, and even for experts that cross-onshore wind is gonna chop it up and make it a messy grind. The combined energy readings jump into the 300s and 500s, but it’s wind-slapped. You’d be better off lookin’ for kiting conditions or pickin’ a different day.

So, the best bet is Monday morning, July 13th at Porto da Cruz. Small, clean, glassy, and perfect for a beginner-friendly session. After that, there’s a long gap of messy, windy days that aren’t worth paddling out for. The second week looks more of the same – persistent north winds and poor quality. It’s a bit of a bummer, but forecasts might change.

Rusty.

Read more