Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Praia Cardoso.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is pretty grim. There’s a long stretch with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. The water’s sitting at a chilly 59°, which is a whopping 6° colder than what’s normal for this time of year – that’s a seriously cold anomaly, so bring a thick suit.

The first proper chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 22nd of July in the afternoon. Even then, it’s only marginal, with a small 3 ft swell from the south, a period of 10 seconds, and combined wave energy of just 216 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’ll be clean, but it’s barely a ripple. Honestly, it’s not a standout.

The real action, if you can call it that, arrives later. Things start to get interesting around Saturday the 25th of July. We get a solid pulse of south swell pushing 6 ft to 7 ft, with a period of 10-11 seconds and combined energy jumping to 825-896 (strong). That’s a decent amount of water moving. The catch? The wind is onshore from the SSE, and it’s light rain. It’s still rated as marginal, so the quality will be a bit of a mess. Not ideal for beginners – anything over 5 ft starts to get punchy.

Sunday the 26th of July looks a bit better. The swell holds at 6 ft from the south, period bumps up to 11-12 seconds, and the energy stays strong at 750-873. The wind turns light and cross-off from the NE in the afternoon, which will clean it up nicely. That Sunday afternoon session is the pick of the whole outlook – the best combination of size and lighter wind. The swell is a little too big for learners, but for anyone with a bit of experience, it’s worth a look.

After that, the week starting Monday the 27th sees the swell ease back to 5 ft-5 ft, still from the south, but the wind cranks up from the NNE at 19 mph. It’s cross-off and clean, but that breeze is fresh. The energy remains strong (around 524-862), but the wind is a limiting factor. The period on Tuesday the 28th morning goes to 13 seconds, hinting at a longer period groundswell, which can be a bit tricky at a beach break like this – it might break too straight and fat. Better suited for a point or reef, but we don’t have one here.

By Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th, the swell drops back to 3 ft-4 ft, and the wind is still strong. The energy drops to moderate again. The last few days of the month are just poor, with choppy blustery conditions.

So for the whole 16-day window, I’d say the standout is Sunday the 26th of July afternoon. That’s your best bet for a clean, powerful wave. Saturday the 25th is the other chance for size, but it’ll be onshore. The rest of the run is either too small, too windy, or just plain flat. Hold out for that Sunday.

Rusty

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