Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cooking for the Praia-Cardoso stretch.

Alright, to be straight with you, the forecast kicks off with a bit of a wild one. Friday and Saturday are a write-off. We're looking at a solid 12ft to 10ft swell from the SSW, but it’s coming in with a nasty cross-onshore wind. That’s just not surfable – it’s a messy, lumpy, choppy mess (combined energy 2164). Don't even bother. It’s more of a kite-surfing kind of setup right now.

The real story starts to turn on Sunday the 5th. That's our first standout window. The swell drops back to a much more manageable 7ft from the S, with an 11-second period, packing moderate energy (1045). The wind swings around to a light cross-offshore from the NW, cleaning the whole thing up. The break is Praia Cardoso, exposed to the S swell, and with that cross-off wind, it should be offering up some well-shaped, clean lines. It's a fairly consistent spot, and with the wind being so light, the conditions will be primo for experienced surfers. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Monday the 6th is a different beast. The swell tanks to less than 3ft, but the period stretches right out to 18 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell from the SSE. The wind goes glassy offshore from the NW in the afternoon. The waves will be tiny, weak (combined energy 354), but if you’re really jonesing for a paddle, you’ll find clean, slow lines. Just know that long-period swell like this can get a bit straight at a beach break, but for a small wave, it could be fun.

The rest of the first week has a few clean mornings (like Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th) with 4ft to 5ft swell and a light off/cross-off wind, but the energy is low and the conditions are only marginal. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

Now, skip into the second week. The big one to circle on your calendar is Saturday the 11th of July. This is the true standout. We’ve got a 5ft to 5ft swell from the ESE, with a solid 11-second period and moderate energy (533-623). The wind is offshore from the NNW in the morning, going to glassy in the afternoon. Glassy wind and chest-high swell with good period? That’s what dreams are made of. The break will be firing with very clean conditions.

After that, it gets messy again with strong winds on the 12th and 13th. Then another window opens up from Wednesday the 15th onwards. The mornings on the 15th, 16th, and 17th all look promising. You're looking at clean 5ft to 6ft swell from the S and SSW with a light offshore or cross-off wind. It’s not as perfect as that glassy day on the 11th, but it’s solid, clean, and consistent offering good waves for experienced surfers.

So, if I were you, I’d be getting excited for Sunday the 5th for the first good clean swell, and absolutely locking in Saturday the 11th of July for the glassy, fun-size perfection. The second week looks promising, but it's further out, so keep your eyes on the forecast.

Rusty.

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