Surf Forecasts:
Porto da Cruz surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, NNE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, NNE swell with 299 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period with NNE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Porto da Cruz this week:
The surf forecast for Porto da Cruz over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Porto da Cruz in the next 16 days are 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 15s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Porto da Cruz over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down what’s heading to Porto da Cruz.
First thing: don’t get your hopes up for the next week and a half. From Tuesday the 18th all the way through Thursday the 27th of August, it’s a real struggle. Constant cross-shore and cross-onshore winds from the north and north-northwest, with weak, short-period windswell running 2 to 5ft. The energy is low to moderate, and the wind just tears it up. You’ll be fighting chop more than riding waves.
We get a tiny break on Saturday the 22nd in the afternoon. The swell drops to 2ft, but the wind goes glassy out of the northwest. Clean as a whistle, but there’s barely anything to ride.
Sunday the 23rd morning looks a bit better with a light south-southeast cross-offshore breeze. Swell bumps to 3ft from the north with a 9-second period. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.
Here’s the real deal. Mark your calendar for Sunday the 30th of August. The morning session at Porto da Cruz is the pick of the entire forecast. We get swell at 6ft from the northeast, period is a short 7 seconds, but the wind is glassy out of the south-southwest. That means silky-smooth conditions. The wave energy is moderate at 291. It’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent, so if you’re an intermediate or expert, get on it. 6ft will be a handful for beginners. Expect crowds possible, so paddle out early.
Then, on Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon, we get another clean window. Swell drops to 4ft from the northeast, but the period stretches to 9 seconds – more groundswell, better shaped waves. Glassy conditions from the north-northwest. Energy jumps to 396, which is solid. This is your second-best shot.
After that, Wednesday the 2nd of September drops off again. So, honest truth: the first 12 days are mostly poor. You’ve got two true windows: the morning of the 30th of August for size, and the afternoon of the 1st of September for quality. Water temp is about normal for this time of year.
This is Rusty, out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue morning, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 24°C on Fri morning, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | N 10 | N 10 | NNE 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 7 | NE 7 | NE 9 | NNE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 256 | 299 | 244 | 195 | 171 | 190 | 238 | 226 | 176 | 157 | 168 | 167 | 100 | 92 | 132 | 122 | 181 | 142 | 189 | 220 | 114 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:16AM1.83m | 6:35PM1.79m | 6:59AM1.69m | 7:22PM1.59m | 7:53AM1.56m | 8:28PM1.43m | 9:13AM1.47m | 10:05PM1.37m | 10:49AM1.49m | 11:34PM1.43m | 12:00PM1.60m | 00:31AM1.55m | 12:49PM1.75m | 1:12AM1.68m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:17PM0.46m | 00:41AM0.53m | 1:04PM0.62m | 1:26AM0.69m | 2:07PM0.76m | 2:34AM0.81m | 3:42PM0.83m | 4:13AM0.85m | 5:21PM0.79m | 5:38AM0.77m | 6:24PM0.67m | 6:32AM0.64m | 7:07PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — |
 | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:42 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 20 |
Feels °C | 27 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | SSW 15 | NNE 8 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | N 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 7 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NNE 8 |
| kJ | 256 | 299 | 244 | 195 | 171 | 190 | 167 | 226 | 89 | 218 | 165 | 163 | 67 | 62 | 132 | 122 | 181 | 142 | 24 | 220 | 114 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 16 | S 15 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 | S 16 | N 8 | N 13 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | SSW 12 | N 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | 165 | 120 | 102 | 90 | 131 | 119 | 8 | 222 | 129 | 5 | 14 | 66 | 100 | 92 | 61 | 76 | 32 | 42 | 28 | 65 | 61 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | NW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | — | NW 9 | W 8 | NW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | NE 7 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | NE 5 | SSW 12 | W 8 | E 6 | E 5 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 53 | 56 | 31 | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 90 | 87 | 56 | 7 | 29 | 1 | 22 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 8 | — | N 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | NE 7 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 238 | — | 176 | 157 | 168 | 167 | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 189 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 36 | 38 | 506 | 28 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Madeira | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Porto da Cruz surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Porto da Cruz Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Porto da Cruz provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Porto da Cruz can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Porto da Cruz surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Porto da Cruz) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Porto da Cruz may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Porto da Cruz is 14 km (9 miles) from Funchal. If you plan a holiday in Madeira, look for hotels and other accommodation in Funchal. Funchal has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest