Praia do Porto Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, I’m Rusty, and I’m looking down the barrel at the next 16 days for Praia do Porto.

Overall, the pattern is a bit of a slow starter with a big, exciting finish. We’ve got a few days of small stuff to get through, but then a real solid pulse of Southerly groundswell arrives with some very clean conditions. The standout window is clearly the second week, especially around the 17th. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Alright, let’s kick off on Saturday the 4th of July. Praia do Porto is pumping early. We’ve got a clean 8ft Southerly swell, a solid 12-second period, and a light offshore wind. The combined energy is strong (1550). This is proper surf for experienced surfers only though – over 5ft, it’s going to be powerful. Saturday afternoon stays good with 8ft Southerly swell and a cross-offshore wind, still clean and punchy.

Sunday the 5th is a cracker of a morning. The swell drops a touch to 7ft from the SSE, but the wind goes glassy. Absolutely dead calm. This is the best of the first few days – clean, smooth lines. Afternoon gets choppy as the wind swings onshore, so get your session in early.

We hit a bit of a lull from Monday the 6th through Wednesday the 8th. Swell drops below 5ft, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on. Conditions are ordinary to poor; there’s not much reason to paddle out. The energy drops to moderate (603 on Monday morning, dropping to 376 on Wednesday). Thursday the 9th is even smaller, with weak energy and poor conditions.

Now, Friday the 10th of July starts to show a pulse. The swell is still small, around 3ft to 3ft from the ESE, but it’s clean with offshore winds. The energy is weak but it’s rideable.

Saturday the 11th brings a slight improvement with a 4ft ESE swell, a longer 13-second period, and light offshore winds in the morning. The combined energy is moderate (529). It’s surfable and clean, but nothing to get your heart racing.

Sunday the 12th is a write-off. Rain, rain showers, and onshore winds with a messy, choppy sea. Skip it.

Monday the 13th is a weird one – morning is tiny, but Monday afternoon kicks up suddenly with a 6ft SSW swell and good offshore winds. The period is short at 7 seconds, so it won’t be world-class, but it’s clean and punchy.

Tuesday the 14th stays solid with 6ft S swell, but the wind is cross-onshore in the morning. The afternoon cleans right up as the wind goes glassy – flat calm – making for some smooth faces.

Wednesday the 15th is a real gem for the morning. Glassy conditions, 5ft S swell with an 11-second period, and moderate wave energy. Clean, calm, and long-period lines. This is a good, quiet session.

Alright, here’s the big one. Thursday the 16th of July morning sees a serious drop: 8ft Southerly swell, a moderate offshore wind, and massive energy (1404). This is for experts only. Thursday afternoon stays at 8ft, but the wind goes cross-off.

The absolute standout is Friday the 17th of July. Morning brings a 10ft Southerly swell with a very long 15-second period. That’s groundswell territory. The wind is light offshore, the combined energy is enormous (3555). This is a serious, powerful, clean swell. The afternoon holds strong at 8ft with a 15-second period and moderate offshore wind (3257 energy). This is the best on offer, but only for experienced surfers, and the long period will make it best for the points and reefs. At Praia do Porto (beach/jetty), those big, straight lines might be heavy.

The last few days, Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, see the swell dropping back down to a cleaner 5ft and then 3ft, with lighter winds. A nice way to finish the run.

If you’re a beginner, stay well away from the 16th and 17th. The rest of the time is mostly in the 4ft to 6ft range, which is more manageable. The best bet for a clean, fun session without getting smashed is Sunday morning the 5th of July with that glassy 7ft.

Rusty

Read more