Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell you what I’m seeing for Ribanceira. The next couple of days are looking pretty ordinary, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel with a couple of windows that could be worth paddling out for.

Right now, through the middle of the week, the swell is small and the conditions are just average. We’ve got a little 3 to 5 ft southerly swell running through Tuesday and Wednesday, but it’s not very inspiring. The best of this early stretch is Tuesday morning with a light offshore breeze and a clean 3 ft S swell (combined energy is 250), but it’s just surfable, nothing to get excited about. Wednesday morning remains clean with a light SSW offshore, and the swell bumps up to 4 ft, but the period drops to a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly and lack push.

Thursday the 17th through to the 22nd September is pretty much a write-off. We’re looking at onshore winds and poor surf, with the swell dropping to almost nothing by the 21st and 22nd – barely a ripple. That’s a solid four or five-day gap of real no-go conditions.

Then, Wednesday the 23rd September is where it gets interesting. That morning, Ribanceira gets a clean, moderate offshore wind from the SW, and a solid 6 ft SSE swell rolls in with a short period of 8 seconds. Combined energy is 547, so it’s got some moderate grunt. It’s not huge, but it’s the best looking day in the whole period, and it should offer some fun sandbank waves. It’s a standout morning.

After that, we get a bit of a drop-off and mixed winds. Friday the 25th morning has a gentle offshore and a 3 ft ESE swell, but it’s very ordinary again.

Now, keep an eye on Monday the 28th September. This one is promising but it’s a week and a half out, so don’t book the trip just yet. Monday morning, the wind goes glassy and we’ve got a 7 ft S groundswell, period around 9 seconds. Combined energy hits 725 – solid moderate energy. That’s gonna be a bigger, powerful swell, possibly too much for beginners. It should hit the sandbars with some good shape. However, by the afternoon it jumps to 10 ft, which is expert territory, and the wind goes a bit cross-shore, making it less appealing.

The rest of the run into the end of the month is mostly messy with onshore or cross-onshore winds and junky surf.

The water temp at Ribanceira is about what you’d expect for this time of year, so no need to worry about a wetsuit if you’re used to the local conditions.

To sum it up: your best bet is the morning of Wednesday the 23rd September for a decent, clean session on that chest-high southerly swell. The glassy, bigger swell on Monday the 28th September could be a cracker if the forecast holds, but treat that as a hopeful long-range call.

Rusty.

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