Porto da Cruz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break this down for Porto da Cruz. I won’t sugarcoat it – the start of this run is a bust. From Friday the 11th straight through the rest of that first week, the wind is howling out of the north, blowing cross-on, and just wrecking any chance of a clean wave. The swell is there, about 5 to 6 feet from the northeast, but it’s so choppy and bumpy you might as well take up kite surfing. Even when the swell hits 7 feet on Thursday the 17th (combined energy of 1633) and 6 feet on Friday the 18th (combined energy of 875), the wind is still junk.

There’s a dry spell in the middle. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th see the swell drop to 4 feet or less, and the wind turns onshore but light – it’s surfable but very ordinary, not worth rushing for.

Now, here is the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s a beauty – but it’s far out, so take it with a grain of salt. Around Friday the 25th of September, everything changes. The wind swings to the south, light and cross-offshore, and we get a proper long-period groundswell from the NNW. The period jumps to 15-16 seconds – that’s heavy, well-organized energy. Friday morning sees 3-foot waves with a 16-second period (combined energy of 560), and it’s clean as a whistle. Friday afternoon builds to 4 feet at 15 seconds (combined energy of 856), and it’s looking very good. This is the one to circle. Porto da Cruz is a reef, so it’ll handle that long-period stuff perfectly. Water temp is about average for this time, a touch warm, around 77°.

Saturday the 26th will still be fun with 4-foot swell from the NNW at 12 seconds and clean winds. But that Friday is the standout. It’s a long way out, so don’t get too hyped yet, but keep it on the radar. Before that, the ocean’s just not having it.

Rusty

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