Porto da Cruz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what Porto da Cruz has on the menu for the next couple weeks. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough start, and there’s a long quiet patch in the middle. But hang tight, there might be a decent window late in the game.

The first bit of action creeps in on Friday afternoon, July 3rd, with a chest-to-head high 6ft swell out of the NNE. There’s moderate wave energy (719) behind it, but the wind is cross-on, so it’s not going to be clean. It feels a bit messy, and the call is marginal. Porto da Cruz is a reef break that’s fairly consistent, but it’ll be on the tricky side for the beginner crew with that size. Water temperature is sitting at 72°, pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Saturday morning, July 4th drops to 5ft from the same NNE direction, but a light cross-on wind still messes with the surface. By Saturday afternoon the wind shifts cross-off and gets a bit breezier, which cleans things up, but the swell is dropping to 5ft, and the energy is only moderate (358). Not a standout.

Sunday morning, July 5th is glassy with a little 3ft swell and a short period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak (211). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. That glassy period hangs into Sunday afternoon too, but still no real juice.

Then we hit a proper dry spell. From Monday, July 6th right through to the end of the second week, the surf is tiny or weak, with poor conditions and messy winds. There’s a couple of days in there with swell pushing 7ft from the NNE around July 13th–15th, but with a persistent moderate cross-on wind and choppy conditions, it’s just not worth paddling out. That amount of swell with that wind setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than a surfboard.

Now, if you’re patient, there is a glimmer. On Thursday morning, July 16th, we get a clean 5ft from the north with glassy conditions. The swell period ticks up to 8 seconds, and there’s moderate wave energy (327). This is the best on offer – the wind is dead calm, the water will be clean, and the reef should hold shape with that north direction matching the optimum. It’s not huge, but after days of nothing, it’ll feel like a gift. Crowds at Porto da Cruz can be an issue when there’s a wave, so expect company. After that, Friday the 17th stays glassy but the swell fades fast to 3ft and then smaller, back to ordinary.

So bottom line: if you’re keen, point your board at Thursday morning, July 16th. The rest is a gamble.

Rusty

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