Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s see what’s on the menu for Ribanceira.

We’re looking at a pretty quiet start to the forecast period. The next few days are mostly small and messy, so don’t bother paddling out until we get to Wednesday the 23rd. That’s where things start to get interesting.

Through Sunday the 21st and Monday the 22nd, the swell is tiny, around 0.7ft to 2ft, with a mix of light winds and some cross-onshore junk. Not worth rushing for. The wave energy is weak, with values between 10 and 87, so it’s just not happening.

Tuesday the 21st morning is the first glimmer of life – a clean 2ft south swell at 10 seconds, with a light offshore wind. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Afternoon gets cross-onshore again.

Now, Wednesday the 23rd is where we get a proper pulse. The morning sees a 5ft south-southeast swell, clean with a gentle offshore wind. The energy jumps to 286 (moderate), but the real standout is the afternoon. By Wednesday afternoon, the swell hits 7ft from the SSE, period 8 seconds, and the wind is light offshore from the SW. The combined energy roars up to 1035 (strong). That’s proper beach-break power, but it’s also over 5ft, so it’s pushing into intermediate territory. The wind is light offshore, so expect clean faces. This is the best session of the first week.

Thursday the 24th morning is glassy with a 5ft SE swell, but the energy is only 314 (moderate), and that afternoon the wind goes onshore and kills it. Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th are a write-off with cross-onshore and onshore winds, small swell, and poor conditions.

Sunday the 26th morning is glassy again with a 2ft south swell at 12 seconds, but it’s small. The rest of the week is a mix of small clean windows and more cross-onshore chop.

The big news is the final weekend. Thursday the 30th morning we get a glassy 8ft south swell, period 8 seconds, with strong energy at 732 (strong). That’s a solid punch, but it’s still over 8ft for the experts only. The real bombshell is Saturday the 1st of August. A glassy 7ft south swell, period 14 seconds, with a combined energy of 1735 (very strong). That’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves, more energy, and longer gaps between sets. This is going to be a true standout at Ribanceira’s sandbar, but it’s over 8ft, so only for the experienced crew. The wind is dead calm in the morning. That’s a session to mark on the calendar.

Sunday the 2nd morning is also glassy, with a 6ft south-southeast groundswell at 15 seconds and energy at 1421 (very strong). Another cracker, but again, only for the experts as it’s over 5ft. The afternoon gets hammered by onshore wind.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual. The best bet is clear: Wednesday the 23rd afternoon for the big, clean, intermediate-friendly swell, and then the glassy groundswell windows on Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August for the experienced crew. Don’t bother with the first week unless you’re desperate for a tiny, clean knee-high wave on Tuesday morning.

Rusty.

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