Praia Dos Acores Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a pretty flat start, so don’t bother paddling out just yet. The first real chance to get wet doesn’t come until the morning of Friday, July 17th, and even then, it’s a tough sell. The surf is barely there with a weak, short-period 4ft easterly swell. The water is a very chilly 61°F (much colder than normal for this time of year), so you’ll be wanting a thick suit. The wind is cross-off from the north, so the surface is clean, but the waves are just poor. It’s a beginner-level wave at best, and with the crowds sometimes around Praia Dos Acores, it’s not worth the hassle.

The rest of that weekend and into the start of the next week is more of the same: small, weak, short-period swell from the east-northeast. The wind stays cross-off and clean, but the wave quality is just “ordinary.” You’ll be scratching for scraps. The combined energy sits around the 200 mark (moderate), but the waves just don’t have any push.

Honestly, the whole first week is a bit of a washout. There’s a tiny window on Tuesday afternoon, July 21st, where the wind drops to glassy and the swell drops to 3ft from the ENE. The period is still short at 8 seconds, so it’s not going to be epic, but it’ll be the cleanest, most user-friendly waves of the week. The energy is low (132), so don’t expect much.

We get a bit of a reprieve on Wednesday, July 22nd, with a shift in the swell direction to south-southeast and a longer period of 10 seconds, but it’s still small (3ft) and accompanied by heavy rain. The wind is mostly glassy or light, but the conditions are still just “ordinary” at best.

The real standout doesn’t arrive until the second week. Keep your eyes on Sunday, July 26th. The morning shows a jump in energy to 663 (strong) with a very long period of 13 seconds from the SSE, but the wave height is only 3ft. The wind is cross-off from the north, so it’ll be clean. However, the afternoon is where it gets interesting. The swell jumps to 8ft from the east-southeast, but the period drops to a short, choppy 7 seconds. The combined energy is massive (1063), but that short period and size means it’s going to be a messy, powerful shorebreak. This is for experts only, and even then, it’s described as “marginal.” The north-northeast wind will keep it clean, but the short period makes it a bit of a wildcard.

After that, things get messy again. The wind swings onshore from the south-southwest on the 27th and 28th, making it choppy and poor. The swell is small and the energy is moderate.

The next real highlight is a full week away, on the morning of Friday, July 31st. The swell is 3ft from the SSE, with a long period of 11 seconds. The wind is glassy, and for the first time in the forecast, the conditions are described as “good.” The combined energy is 268 (moderate), so it’s not a huge swell, but the glassy conditions and longer period will make for clean, fun waves at Praia Dos Acores. This is the best option on offer, but being so far out (July 31st), it’s a promising but less certain call.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a right-off. The best bet is the very end of the month, on the morning of July 31st, when the stars finally align for a clean, glassy session with some long-period energy. But it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

Read more