Praia do Porto Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Praia do Porto over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is about 1°F warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a touch on the mild side. But the real story is the surf. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s a couple of serious windows of goodness if you’re patient.

For the first few days, it’s pretty grim. Through the end of July and into the start of August, the wind is a mess – mostly onshore or cross-onshore, blowing hard from the north-northeast. The swell is small and jumbled, with combined energy barely cracking 200-300 (weak). Not worth paddling out for. That carries on right through to the 4th of August.

Then things start to tease. On the morning of Tuesday the 4th, we see a cleaner pulse – a 3ft south swell with a 12-second period, light cross-offshore wind, and combined energy climbing to 343 (moderate). The afternoon session on the same day is even better: 3ft, 11-second swell from the south, still clean, with energy up to 362. This is your first real chance to get wet, but it’s not the standout.

The 5th is small and glassy in the afternoon, but the swell is fading. The 6th and 7th are a write-off again – wind is poor, energy drops to 67 (very weak). Feels like a frustrating run.

But hold onto your board. The real magic is in the second week. Sunday the 9th of August is a proper highlight. Morning brings a 6ft south swell, 14-second period, with light offshore wind from the southwest. The combined energy is a massive 1583 (strong). That’s a solid groundswell with serious push. The afternoon is a bit windier but still a 7ft, 15-second south swell. This is for experienced surfers only – over 5ft and pushing 7ft, so it’s not for beginners. The direction is from the south, which matches the optimum swell direction for this spot (SE is the optimum, but a clean south swell with this period will still line up nicely). The crowd factor is “sometimes” here, so you might have company, but with this kind of quality, it’s worth it.

Monday the 10th is another cracker. Morning has 6ft from the SSE, 14-second period, light offshore, with energy at 1620 (strong). The afternoon is glassy – 6ft, 14-second SSE swell, and energy still at 1445 (strong). For a beach/jetty setup, these long-period swells (over 15 seconds on the 9th) can sometimes make it break a bit straight, but the south-southeast direction should give it some shape. This is the best on offer.

After that, the 11th and 12th are messy again with cross-onshore winds. The 13th is a write-off due to strong onshore winds. But then, Saturday the 15th of August delivers one more standout: a 8ft south swell, 11-second period, with moderate offshore wind from the southwest. Combined energy hits 2002 (very strong). That’s a big swell – purely for experts. The afternoon is a bit smaller at 5ft but still clean.

So, if you’re picking your sessions, the absolute best windows are the 9th, 10th, and 15th of August. The 9th and 10th have the best combo of size, period, and clean wind. The 15th is a big-wave day for the brave. The rest of the time, it’s mostly flat or blown out. Don’t bother with the first week unless you’re desperate.

Rusty.

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