Praia da Vila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. I’m looking at Praia da Vila, and I’ll be honest with you, the start of this period is a bit of a letdown. The first few days are a write-off – we’re looking at tiny waves and messy conditions. The water is sitting at 60°, which is a whopping 5° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll absolutely feel that bite.

The first proper chance of a wave comes on Tuesday 21st July. The morning is a bit of a gamble with onshore wind and a 6ft swell from the ENE, but Tuesday afternoon cleans right up. We get glassy conditions and a 5ft ENE swell. The combined energy is moderate (348), and the period is a short 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and crumbly, but it’s clean and rideable. That’s your first real window.

Then we hit a bit of a lull again until Thursday 23rd July afternoon. The wind turns cross-offshore from the NNE with a 4ft SSE swell. The energy is solid (411), and the period is a bit better at 9 seconds. It’s clean and should offer some fun, punchy waves.

The real standout, though, is the end of the first week and into the start of the next. Saturday 25th July morning looks sweet – offshore NNE wind, 4ft from the SSE, and a combined energy of 401. It’s clean and should be a fun morning session.

But the absolute best on offer is Friday 31st July. Both morning and afternoon are exceptional. The swell is 4ft to 4ft from the ESE, with a very long period of 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is massive, hitting 738 in the morning and 936 in the afternoon. The wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping it glassy. This is a day for the good boards. The long period will mean the sets are well-spaced, so paddling out is easier, but it’ll break a bit more straight at a sandbar, so look for the peaks.

A mention for Wednesday 29th July afternoon – glassy conditions with a 5ft E swell, but the short 8-second period means it’ll be a bit weaker and less defined.

On Tuesday 28th July, the swell jumps to 8ft from the SE with a combined energy of 1054 – that’s strong, but it’s onshore and messy. It’s a big, raw, windy day, more suited to the kite crowd than us paddle surfers.

The start of August on Saturday 1st has a big 5ft ESE swell with a 16-second period and a huge energy of 1318, but it’s onshore and rainy. A real shame, as that’s a monster swell.

So, in short: the first few days are poor. The best windows are Tuesday 21st afternoon, Thursday 23rd afternoon, Saturday 25th morning, and the absolute standout is Friday 31st July – that’s the one to circle on the calendar. There’s a bit of a gap in the middle, but it’s not all bad. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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