Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a wait ahead for the good stuff at Praia Cardoso. The first week or so is mostly a write-off, with small, weak swell and cross-off winds that just won’t let up. The energy’s all under 100 in the combined swell energy, barely a ripple. You’re looking at a stretch from the 16th right through the 22nd where you wouldn’t paddle out unless you just wanted to sit on your board and look at the horizon. There’s maybe a sniff of something surfable on Tuesday morning the 21st with a 2ft south swell (65 combined energy), but it’s ordinary at best.

The real story starts Thursday the 23rd of July. That morning, we get a glassy session with a 5ft south swell, period around 10 seconds, and no wind – the raw energy jumps to 468. That’s a proper window of clean waves. The water is much colder than normal for this time of year at 59°, so you’ll want a hood or a thick steamer.

Then Friday the 24th of July morning is the standout. A 8ft SSW swell hits with 634 combined energy, period a touch short at 7 seconds, but with light cross-off wind from the WNW. That’s punchy, solid, and clean. This size is getting into expert territory if you’re not confident, but for the crew who charge, it’s the pick of the whole outlook. The break itself is exposed and fairly consistent, but expect crowds *sometimes*.

After that, Saturday the 25th gets hammered by strong cross-onshore winds from the SSW at 28 mph, making a mess of the 5ft swell – more of a kite session than a surf one. The following days drop off again with marginal conditions, though Monday the 27th of July morning offers a nice surprise: a 2ft SSE groundswell with a very long 15-second period, clean offshore wind from the north, and 351 combined energy. That’ll be a slow, lined-up set wave for the points and reefs, not so much for the beachies.

Looking into the second week, Thursday the 30th of July morning is another belter in the long range. Glassy calm, 7ft SSW swell (691 combined energy) – that’s serious size and clean, but the period is short at 7 seconds, so it’ll be lumpy and powerful. Definitely one for experts only. Friday the 31st offers a 5ft ESE swell but with fresh cross-off winds, so it’s not the cleanest.

So your two real standouts: the Thursday 23rd July morning for that glassy, clean 5ft south swell, and the Friday 24th July morning for the biggest, cleanest swell of the run. If you can wait, the Thursday 30th July morning is a promising but less certain gem. The rest is pretty average.

Rusty.

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