Viana do Castelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for Viana do Castelo.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the first week or so is pretty flat and tired. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and most of the time there’s a cross or cross-onshore breeze messing things up. The early part of the window is a real struggle. We’re looking at a lot of days where the waves are just knee-high and gutless, with combined swell energy barely cracking 100 (57–206 range). The water is sitting at 69°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s one small comfort if you’re just floating around.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Thursday the 30th of July. The wind goes glassy, and we’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period. It’s not gonna win any awards, but it’s clean and surfable. Same story on the morning of Friday the 31st of July – glassy again, little 1 ft waves. Really just a longboard or a foiler kind of session.

There’s a bit of a lull over the weekend and into early next week, but keep an eye on the morning of Monday the 3rd of August. Glassy conditions again, with a 2 ft swell from the west. The energy is low (89), but it’s clean. Same deal on the morning of Tuesday the 4th of August – glassy, 3 ft west swell.

Now, the real standout comes later. The morning of Wednesday the 12th of August is looking promising. Glassy conditions, a 4 ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, and combined energy of 197 (moderate). That’s a solid little bump. The water is still that same nice temperature. Then the afternoon of the 12th of August is the best of the entire forecast. The swell picks up to 5 ft from the WNW, still 9-second period, and the energy jumps to 281 (moderate). The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NW, and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the one to circle.

For the rest of the second week, we’ve got a few mornings with clean cross-offshore winds (like the 8th, 10th, and 11th of August), but the swell is small, between 2 ft and 4 ft, and the period is short (6-8 seconds). The energy is mostly weak (57–183). It’s rideable, but nothing special.

Oh, and Friday the 7th of August afternoon? That’s a raw 6 ft NNW swell with a 6-second period and 354 energy (strong), but it’s coming in with onshore wind and the report says poor surf. That’s a messy, choppy, close-out situation. Kite surfers might be getting excited, but for paddle surfing, it’s a no-go.

So, my pick of the whole 16 days is the afternoon of Wednesday the 12th of August. That’s the one with the best combo of size, clean wind, and decent energy. The morning of the 12th is a solid backup.

Viana do Castelo is a river break, so it’s exposed to the west swell, and the optimum direction is west. The swell we’re seeing is mostly from the WNW and NW, which is close enough to do the job. It’s fairly consistent, but beginners should be careful when it gets over 5 ft. Crowds are often an issue here, so get out early if you can.

Rusty signing off.

Read more