Surf Forecasts:
Praia das Macas surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, W swell with 1,194 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Praia das Macas this week:
The surf forecast for Praia das Macas over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Praia das Macas in the next 16 days are 2.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Praia das Macas over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Lookin' at the next 16 days for Praia das Macas, and I gotta be straight with ya – it's a tough run. The forecast is pretty much a write-off with only a few flickers of hope, and even those are more about "maybe" than "get in the car."
The whole first week, from Friday the 21st of August right through to the end of the month, is a real struggle. The wind is all over the shop – mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore, and often strong. The wave energy is moderate to strong (470 to 817), but with that wind, it's lumpy, choppy, and just plain messy. We get a couple of moments Sunday morning the 23rd where the wind is cross-off and clean, but the swell is a solid 7 ft from the W with moderate energy (985), and the combo of a risk of t-storms and a "marginal" call makes it a gamble, not a goer.
Then we hit a real dry spell. From Monday the 24th all the way through to the end of the month, the swell is there, but it's constantly blown out. The wind just won't let up. The whole outlook is "poor surf conditions" – that's the word on the street. The only tiny glimmers of hope are on Saturday the 29th morning and Monday the 31st morning, with scores of 2 out of 10. Saturday the 29th morning has a 6 ft NNW swell with moderate energy (661) and a gentle cross-shore breeze. The 31st Monday morning has a 6 ft NW swell, moderate energy (514) and a light onshore breeze, but the wind state is "unknown," which is a bit of a worry. Hardly worth paddling out for.
The first week of September doesn't look much better. A few days with some clean-ish wind, but the swell is tiny. Tuesday the 1st of September morning has a 3 ft N swell, but it's a short period (8 seconds) and low energy (216). The wind is cross-off, so it's clean, but there's no power. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd mornings are the same story – small, weak, and not doing much.
The best of a bad bunch looks like Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon. We get a 5 ft NW swell with a very long period of 12 seconds and strong energy (846). That's a proper groundswell. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy, so it's a tease. The break is a beach, and with a long period swell like that, it'll be breaking straight and fast. Not ideal for a paddle.
After that, the wind cranks up again. The end of the forecast window on the 5th of September is a full-on blowout with strong to fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy, messy conditions. A 8 ft swell is on offer, but it's a total mess. For the experienced boys, it might be worth a look if you're desperate, but honestly, with that wind and the beach break setup, it looks more like a kite-surfing day than a surfing one.
Look, the honest truth is there's nothing here that's a true standout. The whole 16-day window is a struggle. The break is consistent, but the conditions are not. It's a classic case of the swell being there, but the wind just won't cooperate. We're in a bit of a blank run. Don't get your hopes up too high, but keep an eye on the forecasts – they can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 18°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Sat night, fresh winds from the SSW by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 20°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon morning, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 11 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | WNW 14 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 8 | SW 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
229 | 763 | 555 | 419 | 253 | 972 | 915 | 440 | 306 | 611 | 748 | 189 | 109 | 78 | 53 | 97 | 142 | 201 | 513 | 613 | 537 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:36PM1.85m | 11:16AM1.99m | 00:04AM1.90m | 12:30PM2.12m | 1:04AM2.05m | 1:21PM2.30m | 1:47AM2.21m | 2:01PM2.49m | 2:23AM2.38m | 2:35PM2.67m | 2:55AM2.53m | 3:07PM2.82m | 3:27AM2.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM1.09m | 4:41AM1.14m | 5:49PM1.05m | 6:08AM1.05m | 6:56PM0.90m | 7:05AM0.89m | 7:41PM0.72m | 7:46AM0.71m | 8:17PM0.54m | 8:21AM0.53m | 8:49PM0.37m | 8:53AM0.37m | 9:20PM0.23m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 11 | SSW 15 | WNW 9 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | WNW 14 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 |
229 | 21 | 45 | 419 | 253 | 972 | 915 | 440 | 306 | 12 | 12 | 189 | 109 | 78 | 53 | 97 | 142 | 201 | 513 | 613 | 537 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | SW 13 | S 13 | SSW 6 | N 7 | W 10 | W 10 | NNW 6 | SW 11 | NW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
26 | 12 | 18 | 39 | 39 | 151 | 70 | 48 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | — | NNW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | — | — | NNW 7 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | NW 14 | SW 11 | — | — | — |
21 | — | 14 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | — | — | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 8 | SW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 |
215 | 763 | 555 | — | — | — | 13 | 146 | 146 | 611 | 748 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 21 | 687 | 15 | 15 | 62 | 0 | 127 | 62 | 62 | 426 | 436 | 21 | 1 | 127 | 127 | 14 | 425 | 203 | 21 | 205 | 14 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Lisboa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Praia das Macas Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Praia das Macas provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Praia das Macas can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Praia das Macas surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Praia das Macas) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Praia das Macas may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Praia das Macas is 9 km (6 miles) from Sintra. If you plan a holiday in Lisboa, look for hotels and other accommodation in Sintra. Sintra has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











