Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for Praia Cardoso. We’ve got a bit of a wait ahead, and it’s not the easiest run. Hold on.

Right now, it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at a solid week of messy, windy conditions with poor surf quality. There’s a bit of size early on – Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are seeing a 6.6 ft to 7.5 ft southerly swell, but the 14-second period is pretty stretched out. Problem is, the wind is a cross-shore mess, and the wave energy is moderate (around 1841 to 1892). It’s gonna be choppy and borderline, so don’t bother paddling out just yet. That stretch runs through to around Tuesday the 19th without anything worth recommending.

Saturday the 15th has a shift, with a brief window of cleaner conditions and a nice 6.6 ft east swell, but the period crashes to just 8 seconds – that’s short-period windswell, weak energy (907). By the afternoon it’s dropped to 3.9 ft and the wind picks up hard. Not the one.

Now, the first real standout looks to be Sunday the 23rd of August. The morning session is the pick: a solid 7.9 ft southerly swell with a 9-second period and light cross-shore winds (just 9 mph from the WSW). The combined energy jumps to 1994, which is solid, moderate-to-strong energy. It’s going to be a little lumpy from the cross-chop, but for this break, that’s good, clean power. The swell is over 5 ft, so it’s a step up for the keen intermediate crowd but not too big for experienced surfers. Conditions are marginal but workable.

The other standout lands on Thursday the 27th of August. We’ve got a 6.6 ft swell from the SSW, and the wind is nearly glassy in the morning – just a whisper from the WNW at 3 mph. That’s *clean* surf, folks. The period is only 7 seconds, so it’s a bit short, but with light air and cross-off wind, this is where you’ll find the best shape of the whole outlook. Combined energy is moderate at 446, and it’s a proper go. Beginners might find the 6.6 ft a bit much, but for the rest of us, this is the one.

Crowd alert: Praia Cardoso can get busy sometimes, so expect company on the good days. The break is S-facing, so the southerly swells are right on. It’s fairly consistent, but this run has a lot of gaps – from now until the 23rd, there’s nothing you’d call good. After that, the 27th stands out as the cleanest option.

That’s the run. No point chasing the early week – sit tight, wait for that 23rd and especially the 27th. The water temp is about average for the season, so no surprises there. Just be patient. See you out there.

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