Viana do Castelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the goods on the local surf scene here at Viana do Castelo (Portugal). Let's have a yarn.

Alright, we're in for a proper mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The water's sitting at a mild 65°F on the 31st, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year – nothing to write home about, just your average jacket-optional water temp.

The first few days are a bit of a slow burn, with some clean but average-sized waves. The standout session is the Monday morning of the 31st of August. The swell is 6 ft from the NW with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined wave energy is a solid 622, so there's a decent amount of push. The wind is a light 9 mph from the N, making it a clean cross-off breeze. This is the best you'll see for a few days, with good shape and nothing too crazy.

After that, Tuesday and Wednesday drop off significantly. The swell fades to 5 ft and then down to 2 ft, and the energy levels drop to 369 and a weak 61. The wind stays clean, but the waves are just too small to get excited about.

We hit a dry spell from Thursday the 3rd through to Friday morning the 4th. The wind goes onshore or glassy, but the swell is tiny, under 3 ft, and the energy is mostly in the double digits. It's a bit of a lull.

Things start to look up again on Saturday the 5th. That morning is a true standout. The swell is 4 ft from the NW, but the period jumps to a long 14 seconds, and the energy rockets up to 869. That's a proper groundswell. The wind is a light offshore from the NNE at 3 mph, so it's going to be clean and lined up. This is the one to circle for the first week. The afternoon picks up even more energy (1004) but the wind goes a bit cross-shore, so the morning is the pick.

The next few days through to the 7th and 8th are glassy and clean, with small to moderate 3 ft to 4 ft swells. Consistent but not huge. The 11th of September throws up another ripper. Friday afternoon has a 4 ft swell from the NNW with an 11-second period, 585 energy, and glassy conditions. That's a lovely little window.

The second week gets a bit more interesting. The 14th of September Monday morning has a tiny 2 ft swell, but the period is a massive 18 seconds. That's a very long-period groundswell. The energy is 483, so there's grunt, but it might be tricky on the beach break with that long period. The afternoon sees a bigger 7 ft swell from the WNW with a 16-second period and a huge 2189 energy value. That's a lot of power, but it's a bit cross-shore and marginal.

Tuesday the 15th of September morning is a big one. The swell is 7 ft from the WNW with a 13-second period and 1362 energy. The wind is a light cross-off from the NNE. This is a significant swell, over 7 ft, so it's really only for the experienced crew. It's a powerful, clean setup, but it's too big for beginners.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best windows are Monday morning the 31st of August for the clean, fun-size swell, and Saturday morning the 5th of September for the long-period groundswell with offshore winds. The 11th of September and the 15th of September are also noteworthy, but the latter is for experts only. The rest of the time is a mix of small, clean waves and some onshore slop.

Rusty.

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