Porto da Cruz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s happening with Porto da Cruz over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a bit of a rough stretch for waves. The whole period is plagued by cross-onshore winds, mostly from the north, which is going to keep things messy. The water is sitting at 76° – a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only good news.

We start off with a real dud. Friday, September 4th, through much of the first week, the swell is small and weak, with combined energy mostly under 300. The waves are blown out and choppy. There’s a little bump in size around Monday, September 7th, with swell pushing 5ft to 5ft, but the wind is still a moderate cross-onshore battering it, so it’s poor. The energy climbs a bit (333 to 386), but it’s not worth getting excited about.

The first real sniff of something decent comes late on Thursday, September 10th. We get a long-period groundswell from the north, 14 seconds, pushing in with a solid 348 energy. It’s still only around 3ft, but a long-period swell like that on a reef break like Porto da Cruz can offer up some clean lines if the wind cooperates. Winds are light cross-on, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but this is the first time the report says "marginal" instead of "poor." It’s a glimmer.

Things quieten down again for a few days after that, with energy dropping back under 100. Then, moving into the second week, the surf starts to build again. The period from Tuesday, September 15th, shows consistent NE swell around 4ft to 5ft, with energy climbing from 200 to 241. Still, the wind is a persistent cross-on, so expect a bumpy, choppy surface.

The standout, if you can call it that, is the very end of the forecast. Friday, September 18th, we see a NW swell of 7ft from the NNE, with a period of 9 seconds and a massive 771 energy. That’s some serious power. It’s onshore wind, but only a light breeze, so it might clean up. That said, at 7ft, this is getting into expert-only territory, especially for a reef break. The ride is long, but the paddle out could be a battle. The following day, Saturday, September 19th, is still solid at 7ft (529 energy), but with a forecast of rain showers.

So, the honest truth is there’s no day that’s a perfect, clean, firing session. If you’re desperate, the best bet is the late Thursday, September 10th, for that long-period groundswell, or the final Friday, September 18th, for the biggest, most powerful swell of the period. But be prepared for the wind to be a factor both times.

Rusty.

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