Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at the 16-day picture for Praia Cardoso, and honestly, it’s a pretty slim pickins run. The first stretch is almost completely flat, and there’s a long quiet period before any real size shows up, but even that comes with messy wind. Water temp is sitting at 63° right now, which is a bit chilly for this time of year.

The first time you might want to paddle out is Thursday morning, August 27th. You’ve got a 6ft SSE groundswell with a long 13-second period, pushing moderate wave energy (1074). The wind is a cross-off from the NNE at 16 mph, keeping things clean. It’s rated as marginal though, and this is a beginner-friendly break, so don’t get too excited. It’s the best of a very weak start.

From Friday the 28th through the end of August, it’s dead. Swell drops below 3ft, energy readings are tiny—down to 16 at one point—and winds are mostly cross or onshore. Even a glassy Sunday morning on the 30th has only 0.7ft of swell. Nothing to ride for days.

Tuesday, September 1st, the swell jumps to 8ft from the SSW, but the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, and the wind is screaming out of the SSW at 25 mph, making for a messy cross-onshore chop. Big, but blown out. The next morning, Wednesday the 2nd, pushes up to 10ft from the south with a better 10-second period and cranked energy (2868). The wind is lighter, but still cross-onshore. The call is that it’s too big for this break—that’s for experts only, and the wind isn’t helping. This is a beach setup, and with that much swell and onshore wind, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle session. Thursday the 3rd still has 7ft, but it’s marginal with light onshore winds.

The surf fades through the second week. There’s a flicker on Wednesday, September 9th, with a 6ft S swell and a short 8-second period, but the wind is cross-off and clean. The same pattern holds into Thursday the 10th, with 7ft from the south and a better 12-second period, giving moderate energy (1363) and clean conditions. That Thursday the 10th is the standout of the whole run—decent size, proper south groundswell, and cross-off wind. But long-period groundswell at a beach break can be a bit straight and shifty, so don’t expect perfection. It’s the best option, but not a classic.

The run closes on Friday the 11th with another pulse of 7ft S swell and 12-second period, but the wind swings back onshore and choppy. It’s a tough forecast for Praia Cardoso—a lot of waiting, with only one or two sessions that are worth suiting up for.

Rusty.

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