Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's look at what we've got coming down the line for Ribanceira. It's a sandbar setup, a pretty consistent spot, and it likes swell from the south.

It's gonna be a bit of a slow start, I'm not gonna lie. Right through from now until the end of next week, things are pretty flat or messy. We're looking at a solid week of small, weak, and choppy surf. The wind is mostly blowing from the north-northeast, putting a cross-on or onshore bump on everything. The energy in the water is weak for days, with combined values mostly well under 100 (like 23 on the 18th). You’d be better off leaving the board at home for this stretch. There's a little blip on Tuesday the 21st morning with a 4ft windswell from the north, but it's only a 5-second period, so it'll be weak and crumbly.

Finally, things get interesting heading into the second week. On Thursday morning, July 23rd, we get a decent pulse. The swell pushes up to 5ft from the SSE with a 10-second period. This is a solid groundswell with moderate energy (438). The real gem here is the wind: dead glassy. That’s going to be some clean, groomed surf. This is the standout session of the whole run. The water temperature is running at 60°, which is a massive 6° colder than normal for this time of year, so you're going to want a thick wetsuit.

Friday the 24th afternoon also looks promising. We've got a 6ft swell from the south, but the period drops to 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit more crumbly. However, with a cross-offshore breeze from the south, it should clean up nicely and offer some fun, punchy walls. The energy is still strong at 463.

Further out, the morning of Saturday July 26th brings a solid SW wind at 22 mph blowing straight offshore. The swell is 5ft from the SE. It'll be clean, but that's some serious wind out there. At that size with strong cross-offshore winds, it might be more of a kite-surfing setup than a relaxed paddle session. Still, for the experts, those walls could be firing.

A final note on July 30th, Thursday morning: another glassy morning with a 4ft easterly swell and strong energy at 506. Could be another clean session if the swell direction locks in right for the sandbars.

So the skinny of it is: be patient. The first week is a write-off. But the morning of July 23rd is shaping up as the best bet for smooth, glassy waves. After that, Friday afternoon the 24th and Monday the 27th morning offer clean conditions, though the swell quality varies.

Rusty out.

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