Santa Maria de Oia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Rusty here again. Let’s break down the surf outlook for Santa Maria de Oia, but in feet and miles.

This reef break only really works when the swell comes from the NW. And, truth be told, the next week and a half is mostly a slow grind, but there’s a few windows where it might be worth wetting a suit.

Starting Sunday the 6th: we’ve got a 4ft NW swell, 11-second period, with moderate energy (387). Problem is the wind is cross-on. It’s not a total mess, but it’s not clean either, and the tide looks questionable. Afternoon has stronger onshore wind, so skip it.

Monday the 7th bumps up to 6ft from the WNW with a nice 12-second groundswell, and the energy gets real (991). But wind is cross-on or onshore all day. Water temp is 68°, about 2° above normal – a touch warmer than average, nothing wild.

Here’s your best shot early: Tuesday the 8th morning. Only 4ft from the WNW, 10-second period, and the energy is moderate (299), but the wind dies to dead calm – glassy. That’s a rare treat for a reef. Clean waves, no bump. Afternoon drops off in size with a cross-off wind, but it’s still surfable.

Then we hit a long lull. From Wednesday the 9th through Saturday the 13th, it’s tiny, windy, or both. Swell drops below 3ft, energy numbers dip into the weak range (under 100 at times). But the morning of Sunday the 13th shows a clean 4ft NW swell, 12-second period, and offshore wind from the NE. That’s textbook for the reef, and the energy is moderate at 480. That’s a solid backup plan.

Monday the 14th afternoon has a 6ft NW swell, short period of 7 seconds, but the wind goes glassy. Energy is moderate (325). It won’t be powerful, but it’ll be clean.

Going into Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th, the swell stays around 5ft to 5ft from the NW, but the cross-on wind puts bumps on it. The energy is solid (over 500 on Wednesday morning), but you’ll be dealing with chop.

Looking way out to Monday the 21st of September: that morning is clean, 5ft NW swell with offshore wind from the SSE, and the afternoon is 5ft with glassy conditions. Period sits at 9 seconds, energy moderate (331-349). That is the cleanest, longest window in the whole 16 days. It’s two weeks out, so keep an eye on it, but it’s got potential.

Bottom line: Tuesday the 8th morning and Sunday the 13th morning are your best bets. The rest is mostly onshore junk or too small. A few days in the middle there are a complete write-off.

Rusty.

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