Surf Forecasts:
The Reef surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, NNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 1 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, NNW swell with 450 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period with NNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Reef this week:
The surf forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Reef in the next 16 days are 1.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 01) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Howdy, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta level with you—this 16-day stretch for The Reef is a tough one. There aren’t any proper standouts or days to circle on the calendar. The ocean’s just not cooperating.
The water’s sitting at about 70°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year—nothing wild, but you’ll feel it if you’re used to the typical chill.
Right now, Sunday the 26th is a washout. Messy cross-winds, lumpy conditions, and a short-period 6ft swell from the NNW with moderate energy (372). Don’t bother. Monday morning the 27th offers a tiny window of glassy conditions with a clean 4ft NNW swell and moderate energy (241)—that’s your best shot, but it’s brief. By afternoon the wind swings onshore and it’s over. Tuesday the 28th has some size (4ft, 10-second period) and decent energy (373), but cross-shore to cross-on wind ruins it all day.
From Wednesday the 29th all the way to Monday the 10th of August, it’s a long, bleak run of “poor surf conditions.” There’s a little bump around Saturday the 1st of August with 6-6ft NNW swell and moderate energy (405-503), but the wind stays messy—moderate to fresh cross-shore and cross-onshore. Even when a longer-period pulse hits on Thursday the 6th of August (13 seconds, 411 energy), the wind is still cross or cross-on, keeping it choppy.
Honestly, the one bright spot is Monday morning the 27th—that glassy 4ft NNW swell. It’s small, but with glass you can make it work. That’s it for the whole 16 days. After that, it’s a week-plus of waiting for something that never quite comes together.
The Reef is a reef break, exposed to the NW, and it really needs clean conditions. We just aren’t getting the wind to play nice. For most of this run, the setup looks more interesting for kiting than paddling. Forecasts can turn, but for now, this is a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 355 | 262 | 176 | 145 | 130 | 299 | 360 | 308 | 184 | 135 | 72 | 45 | 37 | 36 | 69 | 93 | 128 | 172 | 348 | 450 | 366 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 1:48PM2.38m | 2:14AM2.28m | 2:30PM2.52m | 2:53AM2.39m | 3:07PM2.67m | 3:28AM2.50m | 3:42PM2.79m | 4:01AM2.57m | 4:15PM2.87m | 4:34AM2.62m | 4:47PM2.90m | 5:06AM2.63m | 5:19PM2.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:06PM0.72m | 8:14AM0.72m | 8:46PM0.58m | 8:51AM0.58m | 9:22PM0.46m | 9:26AM0.46m | 9:56PM0.36m | 9:59AM0.38m | 10:28PM0.29m | 10:31AM0.33m | 11:00PM0.26m | 11:03AM0.32m | 11:32PM0.26m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | 8:54 | — | — | 8:53 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NNW 6 | WNW 9 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | WSW 8 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 17 | 16 | 16 | 145 | 105 | 299 | 360 | 308 | 184 | 135 | 72 | 45 | 37 | 36 | 29 | 93 | 15 | 172 | 348 | 22 | 28 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 13 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 9 | N 12 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WSW 8 |
| kJ | — | 3 | 18 | 81 | 130 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 22 | 21 | 38 | 26 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 35 | 39 | 31 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 15 | S 14 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | — | S 13 | W 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 12 | W 12 | NW 11 | WNW 10 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 4 | 4 | 15 | 15 | — | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 18 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | — | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | — | NNW 7 | — | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 355 | 262 | 176 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 69 | — | 128 | — | — | 450 | 366 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 38 | 435 | 44 | 0 | 48 | 29 | 29 | 265 | 29 | 26 | 449 | 27 | 29 | 593 | 145 | 139 | 82 | 38 | 27 | 435 | 29 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Ericeira | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the The Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Reef surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Reef) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Reef may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
The Reef is 15 km (9 miles) from the city of Sintra. If you plan a holiday in Ericeira, look for hotels and other accommodation in Sintra. Sintra has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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