Praia da Foz Cabo Espichel Sesimbra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this is a tough one. The forecast for Praia da Foz Cabo Espichel Sesimbra is a real tale of two halves, but the first half is a long, quiet stretch.

Right now, through the end of July and into the first week of August, we’re in a flat spell. For the first few days, there are tiny, weak waves – think 2 feet of NW swell with a short period of 10 seconds on Tuesday, and barely 2 feet on Wednesday. The energy is low, sitting around 102 (moderate) at best, dropping to 68 (weak) on Wednesday morning. The water temperature is sitting at 68°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The windows are small, but the real killer is the wind. Mornings start glassy, but by afternoon, those WNW winds pick up to 15 mph or more, onshore and messy. It’s just not worth paddling out for these tiny, wind-blown leftovers.

Honestly, from Thursday the 30th of July right through to the 10th of August, the story is the same: small swell, almost always less than 3 feet, and onshore or cross-onshore winds howling. The conditions are pretty much consistently described as "poor" – it’s a stretch to even call it surfable. A few days, like the 6th of August, see a bit of a bump in swell height up to 5 feet, with moderate energy (280), but the wind is still a fresh cross-onshore mess. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

Now, for the more patient surfers, there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. On Tuesday the 11th of August, things get interesting. The swell jumps up to 4 feet, but more importantly, the period stretches to 12 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy reading jumps to 465 (strong), coming from the NW, which is close to the optimum W direction from the guide. The morning wind is a light 6 mph cross-onshore, which is manageable. But this is a beach and reef setup, and a long-period NW swell like this can tend to break a bit straight on the beach. Still, it’s the best energy we’ve seen all period. The afternoon gets messy again, but the morning window on the 11th is the standout.

Then the 12th of August keeps the energy up with 4 feet swell and 303 (strong) energy, but the wind is back to a moderate cross-onshore at 15 mph. It’s still surfable, but not as clean.

So, the honest truth: the best bet in this whole 16-day window is the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August. It’s the only time the swell size, period, and energy all line up. Everything else is a write-off or a windy mess. It’s a long wait for a short window, but that’s the call.

Rusty.

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