Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. Rusty here. We’re having a look at the waves for the next two weeks, and to be straight with you, this is a dry spell with a couple of flickers of hope way out there. The opening days are a bit of a letdown – tiny, weak swell and the wind isn’t doing us any favors for most of it. The water is sitting right around average for the time of year at 64°, so nothing unusual there.

We kick things off on Sunday the 26th. Praia Cardoso is seeing a small 3ft south swell with a decent 11-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore. The combined energy is moderate at 282, but it’s clean. Not a standout, but it’s surfable. Monday the 27th is a step down in size and the wind goes a bit messy, so don’t get your hopes up.

Things go pretty flat from there. Tuesday the 28th has a tiny 2ft south swell, but a glassy morning session on Tuesday might give you a few slow ones – the period is 12 seconds so the gaps between sets will be long. Wednesday and Thursday are more of the same with very small waves, though a few windows of clean or glassy conditions pop up. But honestly, from late July right through the start of August, the swell energy drops off a cliff, with combined energy readings around 58 and 34 – that’s weak.

We hit a real blank patch from around Friday the 31st onwards. The wind pumps from the northeast, hitting 25 mph on Friday afternoon, which just ruins any tiny bump. The swell is piddly, and the conditions are poor. You’re looking at several days of nothing worthwhile through the 1st and 2nd of August.

Now, the long-range. Keep your eyes on the 3rd of August. Monday the 3rd shows a jump in size with a 5ft east windswell. The energy bumps to 341, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. The real standout, and the only one that catches my attention, is Wednesday morning, the 5th of August. We’ve got a solid 6ft south-east groundswell (10-second period) rolling in, with combined energy hitting a strong 596. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the northeast. That’s the one to circle. It's a week and a half out, so treat it as promising but not locked in. Tuesday the 4th has some size too, around 6-6ft, but the winds are cross or cross-onshore, making it a bit of a mess.

After that, the swell fades fast into the second week, with more small, onshore-chopped days. The 9th and 10th of August are write-offs.

So, the best bet on offer is Wednesday the 5th of August. Head to Praia Cardoso for that 6ft SE swell and clean offshore winds. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, fairly consistent, but be aware that crowds can show up sometimes. The rest of the window is a lot of waiting.

Rusty.

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