Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you—this next couple of weeks is a tough one for the Lisbon surf. We’re looking at a long stretch of messy, wind-affected conditions that’ll test your patience.

We've got a pretty poor run ahead. The only break we've got on the radar is Praia das Macas. It's a consistent, beginner-friendly beach break, which is a bit of a positive. Normally, it’s exposed to swell and the optimum direction is from the NW, which is where most of our energy is coming from. But the winds are just not playing ball.

The water temp is sitting around average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The pattern starts now. For the first few days, from Wednesday the 12th to the end of the week, we’ve got cross-onshore winds blowing in the 12 to 22 mph range. Swell is small-to-medium, building from 3 ft to 6 ft, but it’s all short-period, choppy, and just plain ugly. The combined energy is moderate (182 to 312), but it’s all for nothing with that wind. Don’t even bother.

Come Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, the size jumps up, but it’s a mess. Swell hits 8 ft to 10 ft, with combined energy readings in the strong range (984 to 1146). That’s legitimate swell, but it’s accompanied by a strong breeze (25-28 mph) from the NNW, making it cross-onshore, messy, and lumpy. At 8 ft and over, this is strictly for experts, and even then, the wind is going to make it a battle. For beginners, it’s a definite no-go.

The standout of the entire outlook, if you can call it that, is Monday morning the 17th. The wind drops to a light breeze (6 mph) and goes cross-shore. Swell is a solid 8 ft from the NNW with a moderate energy of 860. The period is 9 seconds, which is okay. The catch is it’s a "marginal" forecast, possibly due to tide. It’s the cleanest we’ll get, but the waves might be a bit fat or have a weird tide window. It’s the only one worth a look, but don’t set your alarm.

After that, things go back to the same story. From Tuesday the 18th through to the end of the window on Thursday the 27th, we’re stuck with persistent cross-onshore winds, mostly from the N and NNW, ranging from 12 to 28 mph. Swell sizes stay between 4 ft and 8 ft, but the energy is all over the place. The consistent wind chop and lumpy conditions mean the surf quality is poor day after day.

There are no other standouts. The second week is a write-off of strong, messy winds and poor surf. There’s a big gap of several days with no real recommendations. Even the consistent nature of Praia das Macas can’t save it from this wind. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the constant wind and onshore chop.

Hang in there, storms can change things. But this forecast is a tough one to sell.

Rusty.

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