Porto da Cruz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you straight: if you're looking for waves at Porto da Cruz over the next couple of weeks, you might want to pick up another hobby. This is about as bleak a run as I've seen in a long time.

We kick things off on Tuesday, July 14th, with a tiny, weak 1.0ft to 2ft windswell. It's just not happening. The energy is pitiful (53 on the scale), and while the morning is glassy, the swell is so small it's barely a ripple. This poor surf stretches out day after day. Wednesday the 15th offers a slight flicker of hope with glassy conditions and a bit of swell energy (57), but the waves are still just "surfable but very ordinary."

From there, it's a long, brutal drought. Thursday the 16th through to Sunday the 19th are all a write-off with heights barely cracking 2ft and cross-onshore winds messing up the surface. Nothing to ride, folks.

Even when the swell energy starts to pick up around Monday the 20th, with readings of 111 to 139, it's still only 4ft of messy, short-period slop. The wind stays cross-onshore, which is a recipe for chop. This pattern of poor quality continues all the way through to Saturday the 26th of July. The only highlight in the whole run is a glassy window on Wednesday morning, July 15th, with 2ft and still air. That’s your best – and only – real shot. It'll be tiny and inconsistent, but if you have a longboard and no standards at all, you might get a few knee-high rollers.

Then, a total change in the pattern hits the final few days. Sunday the 27th and onward into the end of the month actually see a proper pulse of long-period groundswell from the NNW. We're talking 3ft to 4ft with periods of 12 and even 13 seconds. The wave energy jumps to 292, 325, even 361. That's proper power. The problem? The wind. It's blowing onshore from the north at 12 mph, churning up the water. That clean, groomed face you want just isn't there. For a spot like this, the long-period swell would be better peeling down a point, but with the conditions, it's all just lumpy and frustrating.

So here's the bottom line: The only day that's even worth a look is Wednesday, July 15th in the morning for a glassy, tiny session. Beyond that, the first week and a half is a total bust. The late burst of energy on the 27th and 28th has the power but the wind will wreck it. Honestly, with all that wind and building swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing right now.

Rusty out.

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