Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Ribanceira.

Honestly, if you’re looking to get wet in the next week or so, you’re gonna need some patience. The first real chunk of the forecast is a tough one. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through Tuesday the 22nd, it’s a real dry spell – nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the swell is tiny, with combined wave energy barely making it into double digits (23). It’s a flat spell that feels like it’s never going to end.

We start to see a glimmer of life on the morning of Wednesday the 22nd of July. The wind swings offshore from the WSW at 6 mph, and the wave height is a modest 1 ft, but it’s clean. The afternoon gets a little better with 2 ft from the south and a light offshore breeze from the SSW at 9 mph. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

The first real standout looks like Thursday morning, the 23rd of July. We’ve got a 3 ft swell from the south with a period of 8 seconds, and the wind is dead glassy. That’s a major positive. The combined energy is moderate (147). It’s a proper clean window for a sandbar that’s fairly consistent. Crowds are possible (sometimes). The water temperature is running much colder than normal for this time of year, at 60°F, so a good thick wetsuit is essential.

The action picks up again on the morning of Friday, the 24th of July. A moderate offshore wind from the SSW at 16 mph cleans up a 3 ft SSE swell. The energy is moderate (291). It’s a solid session if you can handle the wind.

A bit further out, on the 25th, the swell starts to build. The morning of Saturday the 25th sees 6 ft from the south (9 seconds), and the combined energy is strong (432). The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit textured, but it’s not a write-off. The Sunday morning the 26th is similar, with 5 ft from the south (10 seconds) and light cross-onshore winds. These are marginal conditions for the sandbar, but worth checking if you’re keen.

Looking into the second week, there’s a massive pulse of energy on the 27th of July. The combined energy hits 1777 (very strong), with a 4 ft SSE swell and a long period of 18 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore from the NNE. That’s a lot of energy with messy wind, so it’s more of a problem than a prize. The 27th afternoon sees 8 ft from the SSE with a 15-second period and combined energy of 3318, but again, onshore wind. That’s for experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a battle.

The best bet in that second week might be the morning of the 30th of July. We get a clean 3 ft from the SE with a 12-second period and a light offshore wind from the SW at 9 mph. The energy is moderate (307). It’s a clean, workable day.

So, if you’re a paddler, keep your eyes on the morning of the 23rd of July for the cleanest, glassy conditions. The 24th and 30th are also solid secondary options. The bigger pulses on the 25th and 26th are marginal but worth a look. As for the 27th, that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

Rusty.

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