Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Praia Cardoso over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it’s a flat start. Monday the 20th of July is a write-off, with tiny 0.7ft swell and light rain. We’re looking at a few days of small, poor surf to kick things off. The water is sitting at 63°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget the booties. The combined energy is weak (11) – nothing doing.

We’ve got a long gap of small, weak surf until things start to show a pulse on Thursday the 23rd. Thursday morning sees a jump to 5ft swell from the S, but with a short period of 8 seconds and cross-onshore wind, it’s choppy and messy. The combined energy is moderate (338). Thursday afternoon gets a bit bigger, 7ft from the SSE, but still with that short period and cross-onshore wind. It’s pushing into expert territory size-wise, but the quality is marginal at best. Friday the 24th is similar, with 5ft to 4ft and cross-shore winds – better for a kite session than a paddle.

The first real standout window is Saturday the 25th of July. Saturday morning brings a clean 3ft swell from the S with a long 13-second period. The wind is light cross-off from the NNE, so the lineup will be clean. Combined energy is solid (369). This is a long-period groundswell, so expect better-shaped waves, but at a beach break it might wall up a bit. It’s small, but it’s the best we’ve seen. Saturday afternoon is similar, 3ft with a 12-second period, still clean. The crowds are listed as “sometimes” here, so you might have some company, but it’ll be worth it.

Then Sunday the 26th sees a drop in quality. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the ESE, but with a short 9-second period and cross-onshore wind, it’s choppy again. The combined energy is strong (804), but the conditions are marginal.

Monday the 27th of July is another standout, but you have to get the morning window. It’s glassy, dead calm wind, with a 4ft ESE swell at a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate (377). That’s a clean, surfable morning, perfect for a session. The afternoon gets ruined by a moderate cross-shore breeze.

The rest of the forecast is a slow fade. The last week of July and into August sees the swell drop back to tiny 1.0ft to 2ft. There are a few clean windows with offshore or glassy conditions, like Wednesday the 29th morning (3ft from SSW, 10-second period) and Thursday the 30th is a lost cause. The surf is too small to get excited about – a long gap of quiet water.

So, for the best bet: if you want a clean, glassy surf, get up for Monday the 27th of July morning. If you can handle a smaller, cleaner long-period swell, Saturday the 25th of July is your call. The rest of the 16 days is mostly a bust.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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