Zambujeira do Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break down the next 16 days for this spot.

Right off the bat, this stretch of time is a bit of a mixed bag, with some clean windows but plenty of messy, blown-out periods to shake your head at. The standout for the whole forecast is undoubtedly Friday morning, August 28th at Zambujeira do Mar. We’re looking at a solid 7 ft swell out of the NW, with an 11-second period, which gives it some nice push and shape for a point-style setup like this. The wind is a light N breeze coming cross-offshore, making it clean—real clean. That’s a morning to be in the water early. The only catch here is the combined energy is reading high (996), and with the swell size, this is more for intermediate and up, not for beginners. It’s a proper session.

Before that, though, the start of the window is tough. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are a write-off. On Sunday morning we have 7 ft swell but it’s messy with a S cross wind at 12 mph and a weak wind-chop. The next few days bring some drop in size but the wind stays cross or onshore until Tuesday the 25th where the swell drops to 5 ft and the wind turns light W onshore—still not great, but a slight improvement.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are small and choppy. There’s nothing worth chasing.

Now, besides that Friday the 28th morning, there’s one other glimmer in the second week. Friday morning, September 4th. You get a clean NNE cross-offshore breeze, about 9 mph, with 5 ft swell from the NW. It’s a clean morning, decent size, and the combined energy is moderate (254). Not quite the punch of that late August day, but a solid option if the stars align. Keep an eye on it—long-range hopes, not guarantees.

A few notes on the water: At the start of the period, the water temperature reads 68°F, which is about 2°F colder than normal for this time of year. It’s noticeable—you’ll want a thicker suit or a hood if you’re sensitive to a bit of chill.

The rest of the days? Mostly chopped out, crossed up, or small. Late in the window, Sunday morning, September 7th, there is a nice 4 ft groundswell from the NNW with a very long 13-second period and clean N cross wind. The energy reading is strong (1196), but it’s marginal for this break—that long period groundswell can be tricky at a beach-break setup like Zambujeira. Might be better for reefs or points elsewhere, but the conditions here are clean, so it’s worth a look.

No real kite-surfing standouts here; the decent swell days have cross-off or glassy winds, which is for surfing, not the kite crew.

That’s it from me. Stay patient, pick your windows, and keep an eye on that Friday morning.

Rusty.

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