Ribanceira Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Ribanceira over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a solid run of swell coming through, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag with the wind. The real standout is shaping up for Monday the 24th of August, and that’s the one you want to circle. The water’s sitting at 66° right now, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first decent surf hits Friday morning the 21st. It’s only 4ft from the SSW with a short 7-second period, so nothing to write home about, but the wind is light offshore from the SW, making it clean. The energy is weak (166), so it’s just a knee-slapper to get the rust off.

Saturday the 22nd is a step up. Morning brings 7ft from the S with a 10-second period, and clean offshore wind from the SW. The energy jumps to moderate (864). Afternoon holds 8ft from the S, still 10 seconds, but a cross-off wind from the S keeps it clean. This is a solid weekend session.

Sunday the 23rd – morning glass-off with SW wind at just 3 mph, 6ft from the S and an 11-second period. Clean as a whistle. The energy is moderate (922). Afternoon gets even better: 7ft from the S, 12-second period, cross-off from the SSE, and the energy is up to 1269. This is very good surf.

Now, Monday the 24th of August. This is the one. Morning session: 10ft from the S, a 16-second period – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy is a massive 5069, which is strong. The wind is glassy from the WSW at just 3 mph. This is excellent surf, but at 10ft, it’s for experienced surfers only. The long period means it’ll be a bit walled at the sandbar, but the power and the clean conditions will be unreal. The afternoon drops to 8ft with a 14-second period, but the wind goes cross-shore from the SE, making it tricky.

From Tuesday the 25th, things start to fall apart. Onshore winds from the NNE and NE kick in, and the swell drops. The energy is still moderate (1335 on Tuesday morning), but the wind is junk. Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are a write-off with onshore and cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions.

The surf fades out completely from Friday the 28th of August onward. We get a tiny pulse of 2ft on Friday morning with a light offshore, but it’s weak. After that, it’s flat as a pancake. From the 29th of August all the way through to the 5th of September, the swell is below 3ft, with poor winds and no energy to speak of. There’s a gap of about eight days with no worthwhile surf until the very end of the run, where we see a 6ft pulse on the 5th of September, but it’s coming with onshore wind and a poor rating.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is the Monday the 24th of August morning session at Ribanceira. It’s a standout. The Sunday the 23rd afternoon is also a cracker. After that, it’s a long wait for the next one.

Rusty.

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