Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good look at what's on the cards for the sandbar at Ribanceira over the next couple of weeks.

The short-term is a tough one to swallow. From Saturday the 18th right through to the middle of the week, we're looking at a flat spell. Tiny 0.7ft to 1ft swells from the south with some cross-shore wind and a frustrating lack of energy. The combined energy readings are all under 40 (low), that's just not enough to get any kind of ride. We're talking about a few days of flat, clean conditions but no push. It's a real kick in the teeth for anyone who wants to paddle out.

Then, on the morning of Wednesday the 22nd, we finally see a pulse. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the south, with a short period of 8 seconds. The afternoon turns glassy with light rain, and the combined energy hits 126 (moderate). It's surfable, but it's ordinary. The first real standout arrives on the morning of Thursday the 23rd. The swell picks up to 5ft from the south-southwest, and the wind is a clean offshore out of the southwest at 12 mph. The combined energy jumps to 347 (moderate-strong). This is the best call of the early window. The waves will have a bit of punch, and with that offshore wind, the faces will be clean. The afternoon of the 23rd looks even better, with 6ft swell and the same offshore wind – that's the pick of the first week.

Friday the 24th is still rideable but drops off a touch, with 5ft to 5ft south-southeast swell and glassy conditions, but the energy is down to 296 (moderate). The water temperature is a notable 61°, which is a whopping 5° colder than average for this time of year. That's a chilly one for the early sessions.

Moving into the second week, the outlook gets more promising but less certain. Saturday the 25th morning sees a short-lived bump from a long-period 3ft south swell (12 seconds) with offshore wind, but it's small. Sunday the 26th morning is a calm, glassy 3ft south swell with moderate energy (296). The real standout for the week is Thursday the 30th. The morning sees 6ft from the southwest with a clean offshore breeze, and the afternoon holds 6ft from the south-southeast with a cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is 293 (moderate) and 331 (moderate) respectively. This is a solid window of clean, rideable waves.

However, a big heads-up is needed for the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of August. The swell is predicted to pump up to 10ft on the morning of the 2nd, with a combined energy of 1532 (very strong). But the wind is a messy cross-onshore from the north-northeast at 12 mph. The wave direction is also coming from the east, which is not the optimum south direction for this sandbar. This setup is far too big for beginners, and with the wind on it, it's going to be a messy, blown-out mess. Honestly, this looks more like a kite surfer's dream than a paddle surfer's. The afternoon of the 1st of August is also a write-off, with 7ft from the east and a strong onshore wind.

So, to sum it up: the best and most reliable windows are the afternoon of the 23rd of July, and the morning of the 30th of July. The Thursday the 30th session looks the most promising for a clean, fun wave, but it's a bit further out. The early part of the forecast is a write-off, but the second half of the first week and the start of the second week offer some real hope.

Rusty.

Read more