Viana do Castelo Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.69° N 8.85° W

Viana do Castelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 pm 18 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Viana do Castelo sea temperature is
18.5° C
0.8° 

Viana do Castelo surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Viana do Castelo surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, NNW swell with 855 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with WNW 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Viana do Castelo in the next 16 days are 2.1m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) 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 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (WEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Wed 19th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 9s
Best Surf10PM (Fri 21st Aug)7ft (2.1m) 10s
Most Powerful10PM (Fri 21st Aug)7ft (2.1m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Viana do Castelo over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Right, grab a coffee, let’s talk about the next couple of weeks at Viana do Castelo. It’s a river mouth setup down there, exposed to the west, pretty consistent overall but the first few days are gonna be a write-off. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things shape up from Thursday the 20th with some cleaner conditions.

The water temp is sitting around 65°F, which is about normal for this time of year—feels pretty average, no surprises there.

Alright, so Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, forget it. Tiny, weak swell under 3 ft with short periods and onshore or cross-on winds. The energy readings are pathetic—just 85 and 61 for those afternoons. Total dud.

Thursday morning the 20th is where it starts getting interesting. Clear skies, light NNW cross-offshore breeze, and a jump in swell to 5 ft from the NW (7 seconds). That cross-off wind is gonna keep it clean, and the energy sits at 287 (moderate). It’s not huge, but it’s the first decent window. The short period (7s) means it’ll be a bit bumpy and won’t have much push, but for a river mouth, it’ll be fun on the inside banks. This is one of the better calls in the near term.

Thursday afternoon, the wind cranks up to 19 mph from the NNW – still cross-off, but that fresh breeze will mess with the surface. Swell up to 6 ft, energy jumps to 373, but it won’t be clean enough to recommend.

Friday the 21st morning, we’ve got a proper pulse. Swell 6 ft from the NW, period stretching to 10 seconds, and the energy is a strong 1201. That’s proper groundswell energy. Wind is moderate from the north, cross-off, so it’s clean. The longer period (10s) means better shaped waves, decent gaps between sets. This morning window is easily the standout of the whole outlook – solid size, clean conditions, proper juice. The afternoon dials back with stronger wind (22 mph) but still cross-off – energy drops to 722 but it’s a bit blown out.

Saturday the 22nd morning holds 5 ft from the NNW (9s) with gentle cross-off wind, energy 418 – clean but a step down in size. Afternoon gets messy with 19 mph wind.

Sunday the 23rd morning, another clean session with 5 ft from the NNW (7s) and light NNE breeze, energy 223 – good for a paddle, not a standout but a solid option. Afternoon winds freshen again.

Monday the 24th morning is small at 3 ft and weak energy (112) – barely worth it. Afternoon drops off.

From the 25th to the 26th, it’s mostly poor again – tiny swell, short periods, cross-onshore junk. The afternoon of the 26th has 7 ft from the NW but with cross-on wind (light, but still) and energy 458 – that’s big for that river mouth, over 8 ft means experts only, and the onshore wind will make it messy.

Now, the second week, from Thursday the 27th onward, we see a more consistent pattern of NW groundswell at 4 ft to 5 ft, periods around 9 seconds, and mostly cross-off winds in the mornings. The Thursday 27th morning is clean with 4 ft (energy 299), Friday 28th morning is clean at 4 ft (271), Saturday 29th morning a touch bigger at 5 ft (365) but that’s borderline for beginners – still clean though. Sunday the 30th morning is your best bet in that week: 5 ft from the NW, 9 seconds, light north wind cross-off, energy 294, clean conditions. After that, Monday the 31st and Tuesday 1st September mornings are compromised by light cross-on winds, so not as good.

Overall, your top windows are Thursday 20th morning for the first cleaner session, and Friday 21st morning for the biggest, best shaped, most energetic swell of the whole 16 days. After that, mornings from the 27th through the 30th are consistent but nothing special. If you’re a beginner, watch out for anything over 5 ft – that’s the limit for comfortable paddling. Over 8 ft (like the 26th afternoon) is expert only.

The river mouth can get a crowd when it’s good, especially when the ocean’s flat elsewhere – and it’s “often” crowded here, so bring your patience.

Keep an eye on the long-range stuff – the 30th morning is a solid bet but it’s still a week and a half out, so treat it as promising, not a lock.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Fri afternoon, light winds from the NNW by Mon morning).

Tue
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
2
3
1
1
1
0
1
2
0
1
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
NNW
7
0.9
NNW
7
0.5
NW
5
0.5
WNW
10
0.6
WNW
9
1.4
NW
7
1.8
NW
7
1.9
NW
11
1.8
NW
10
1.9
NW
10
1
NNW
10
1.4
NNW
9
2
NNW
6
1.8
NNW
7
1.4
NNW
7
1.8
NNW
7
1.7
NNW
7
1
NNW
7
0.9
NNW
7
0.2
W
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
70
79
13
52
62
168
305
846
640
665
200
308
293
363
203
290
310
99
86
6
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
15
SSE
15
SSE
10
SW
5
NE
10
NNW
30
NNW
20
N
20
N
35
NNW
20
N
15
N
30
NNW
20
NNE
15
NNE
30
NNW
15
NNE
10
NNW
25
NW
10
NNE
Wind State
on
cross
cross-on
on
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
7:33PM2.93m
8:00AM2.80m
8:16PM2.69m
8:49AM2.63m
9:13PM2.48m
9:55AM2.50m
10:36PM2.35m
11:23AM2.48m
00:13AM2.37m
12:43PM2.59m
1:23AM2.50m
1:39PM2.77m
2:09AM2.67m
Low Tide
1:40AM1.10m
2:01PM1.29m
2:23AM1.32m
2:57PM1.47m
3:22AM1.50m
4:20PM1.58m
4:49AM1.60m
6:00PM1.55m
6:18AM1.55m
7:10PM1.41m
7:18AM1.41m
7:57PM1.22m
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:47
6:48
6:48
6:50
6:50
6:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:30
8:30
8:28
8:27
8:24
8:23
8:22
 mm
Temp °C
26
21
23
22
19
21
20
17
21
20
18
23
24
20
23
24
20
20
21
18
Feels °C
26
21
24
23
20
18
16
13
16
14
14
19
19
16
20
19
16
18
18
16
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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