Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Ribanceira over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we've got a solid run of surf on the way, but it's a bit of a mixed bag at the start. The first real grin comes on Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. The swell is bumping up to 7 ft from the SE with a period of 10 seconds, and we’ve got a gentle offshore breeze from the SW tidying things up. The wave energy is pumping in at a moderate 916, and it's looking clean. That's a good day for an intermediate, but anyone new to the game should be careful – 7 ft is getting up there. The water temp is 66°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The standout of the whole run, though, is Monday the 7th of September. The morning session is looking mint. We’ve got an 8 ft swell from the SSW, period of 9 seconds, and a strong offshore SW wind at 16 mph keeping it clean. The combined energy is a hefty 1866, which is strong wave energy. That's expert territory at that size, but for the crew who can handle it, expect some proper waves. The afternoon drops off a bit to 6 ft, but still worth a paddle.

Let's walk through the rest. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are write-offs with onshore crud and small waves. Saturday the 5th sees a return of clean, shoulder-high 4 ft surf from the S with offshore winds, but it's a little weak with energy around 185. Sunday the 6th morning is flat, but the afternoon kicks up to 7 ft from the S, although it's a bit messy with a cross-offshore wind. The 8th is a solid day with 6 ft from the SSE and clean conditions.

After the 9th, we hit a rough patch. From the 9th through to the 12th, the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell drops off a cliff. The 10th and 11th are particularly grim with tiny waves and fresh breezes. The 12th afternoon sees a glimmer with a clean 3 ft from the S, but it's nothing to write home about.

Things start to look up again on the 13th. The afternoon of the 13th brings a 6 ft SSE swell with offshore winds, and good energy at 789. The 14th is a beauty with a 4 ft S swell but a long period of 13 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. That long period will make for some nice, powerful lines at this sandbar, but the sets will be widely spaced. The 15th offers some 6 ft waves from the E, and the 16th wraps up with a 4 ft S swell, also with a long 13-second period and offshore winds.

Crowds at Ribanceira can be a thing sometimes, so keep an eye out for company on the peak. It's a fairly consistent spot, so when it's on, it's on.

The long-range stuff for the second week (from the 13th onwards) is promising but less certain. The 14th and 16th look like the best of that batch, with clean conditions and that long-period groundswell energy.

Rusty.

Read more