Viana do Castelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for Viana do Castelo.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a slow start. The first real surf we see is on the morning of Thursday the 20th. It’s not a big one, with a 4ft swell from the NW, period of 8 seconds, and a combined energy of 259 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-off from the NNW, so the waves will be clean. The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is a full degree or so colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll feel that. It’s an okay session if you’re just trying to get wet, but it’s hardly going to set the world on fire.

Moving into Friday the 21st, the swell picks up a bit. The morning shows 6ft from the NW with a longer period of 10 seconds and combined energy of 604 (strong). That’s a step up in power, but the wind is a moderate cross-off from the N. It’s clean, but the tide conditions look a little sketchy – more of a "maybe" session than a "hell yeah." The afternoon gets a bit windier and the quality drops.

For the weekend, the surf goes flat and poor. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd have small, weak waves with onshore winds that will mess things up. You’re better off doing something else.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. A few days later, we have a real standout. Thursday the 28th of August. The morning session is the best of the whole outlook. You’ve got a 6ft groundswell from the NW with a period of 10 seconds and a combined energy of 657 (strong). But the real magic is the wind: it’s glassy from the SE. This is a river break, and with that glassy surface and a good solid swell coming from the optimum west direction, the waves will be holding up nicely. It’s listed as fairly consistent, but be aware that crowds are often here, so you might have some company. This is the session to circle on the calendar.

Friday the 29th still has good potential in the morning: 6ft from the WNW, period of 9 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze keeping it clean. It’s a solid option if you missed Thursday.

The first week of September also has a couple of promising mornings. Specifically, Thursday the 3rd of September morning: 5ft from the NW, period of 10 seconds, combined energy of 674 (strong), with a gentle cross-off from the N. That’s another very good-looking morning with clean, powerful lines. And then Friday the 4th morning is dead glassy with no wind at all, with a 4ft WNW swell. That’s going to be silky smooth, though a bit smaller.

Overall, the best bet is the glassy morning of Thursday, August 28th. After that, the mornings of Friday 29th and Thursday September 3rd are your next best bets.

Rusty.

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