
Surf Forecasts:
Viana do Castelo surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, NNW swell with 490 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Viana do Castelo this week:
The surf forecast for Viana do Castelo over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Viana do Castelo in the next 16 days are 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Viana do Castelo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Imperial version
Hey, it's Rusty here. Let's talk about Viana do Castelo for the next couple of weeks. The river break is usually pretty consistent, but this forecast is a mixed bag. The first few days – Thursday 23rd through Saturday 24th – are tiny and choppy, with onshore winds and poor surf. Not worth paddling out. Saturday 25th has a glassy start in the morning with a tiny 2ft swell, but it's still poor. The afternoon picks up to 5ft from the NW with a cross-off breeze and clean conditions, but the period is short (7 seconds) and the energy is moderate (230), yet the surf quality is rated poor – so don't get your hopes up.
Sunday 26th stays clean but small, with a morning 4ft NW swell that has weak energy (114). Still nothing to write home about.
Now, the real standout comes on Monday 27th. Both morning and afternoon serve up the best of the forecast. The swell builds to 4–5ft from the NNW with a 10-second period, giving moderate energy (339 in the morning, 363 in the afternoon). The wind is cross-off from the north, keeping the waves clean. It's a river break, so expect waves to be a bit more lined up than a beach. Height is around chest to head high – fine for beginners since it's under 5ft. The only downside is the swell direction is not quite the optimum W, but it's still a good session. The crowd factor is "often" so you'll have company. This is the one day to mark in your calendar.
After Monday, things go downhill. Tuesday 28th is cross-on and small. Wednesday 29th morning is glassy with a 4ft NW swell, but the period is short (8 seconds) and energy moderate (186) – surfable but ordinary. The rest of the week stays small and messy, with a few clean moments on 31 July morning (2ft, clean but tiny) and 1 August (4–5ft, but cross-on winds and marginal tide). The second week from 2 August onward sees mostly poor conditions, with onshore winds and choppy surf. A few clean days on 3–4 August have small waves (3–4ft) but not enough energy to get excited about. By 5 August the wind picks up, and the last few days are a washout.
So overall, the only true standout is Monday 27th. The rest of the 16-day window is mostly small, ordinary, or just plain poor. If you're keen, go for that Monday – otherwise, wait for the next forecast to change. Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 9 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 6 | WNW 6 | NW 7 | NNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NNW 6 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 30 | 52 | 200 | 306 | 16 | 16 | 161 | 314 | 296 | 261 | 216 | 177 | 135 | 85 | 140 | 222 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:01AM2.58m | 11:26PM2.48m | 12:10PM2.60m | 00:40AM2.49m | 1:11PM2.69m | 1:41AM2.56m | 2:01PM2.82m | 2:28AM2.68m | 2:42PM2.96m | 3:07AM2.80m | 3:19PM3.10m | 3:41AM2.92m | 3:52PM3.23m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:18PM1.51m | 5:42AM1.44m | 6:32PM1.46m | 6:46AM1.41m | 7:30PM1.35m | 7:38AM1.32m | 8:17PM1.21m | 8:21AM1.21m | 8:56PM1.06m | 8:59AM1.08m | 9:31PM0.93m | 9:34AM0.95m | 10:03PM0.81m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:01 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:59 | — | — | 8:58 | — | — | 8:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 17 |
Feels °C | 21 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 10 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 8 | WNW 10 | NW 7 |
10 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 9 | 30 | 52 | 2 | — | 16 | 16 | 53 | 314 | 296 | 261 | 216 | 177 | 135 | 18 | 22 | 222 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SW 4 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | NW 7 | S 12 | — | NW 13 | NW 13 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | WNW 10 |
16 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 24 | 25 | 3 | — | 7 | 6 | 26 | 15 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 22 | 4 | 33 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | WSW 4 | W 7 | NNW 7 | W 8 | — | — | — | S 15 | S 15 | WNW 8 | — | — | W 12 | W 12 | W 8 | WNW 9 | — | — |
6 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 14 | — | — | 3 | 11 | 5 | 8 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 3 | — | — | WSW 4 | — | — | NW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 6 | NW 7 | — |
— | 1 | — | — | 5 | — | — | 200 | 306 | 82 | 110 | 161 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 85 | 140 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 38 | 438 | 146 | 19 | 336 | 329 | 0 | 19 | 130 | 182 | 19 | 256 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Douro and Minho | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Viana do Castelo Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Viana do Castelo provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Viana do Castelo can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Viana do Castelo 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 (Viana do Castelo) 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 Viana do Castelo 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.
Viana do Castelo is 3 km (2 miles) from Viana do Castelo. If you plan a holiday in Douro and Minho, look for hotels and other accommodation in Viana do Castelo. Viana do Castelo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










