Figueira da Foz - Cabedelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and sit down, ‘cause I’ve had a proper look at the charts for our local stretch, and I’ve got to be straight with you: it’s a tough spell ahead. We’re looking at a 16-day window starting now, and honestly, the first week and a half is mostly a write-off. There’s a real dry patch from the get-go, with almost nothing worth paddling out for until we get towards the middle of the second week. The swell energy is generally weak to moderate, with the combined energy figures sitting mostly below 200 (that’s the 88 to 204 range) for the first half, which tells you there’s just not much grunt in the water.

Let’s start with the only spot on the cards: Cabedelo (Figueira da Foz - Cabedelo). It’s a beginner-friendly beach and pier setup, fairly consistent but exposed to west swells, and the optimum swell direction is from the west. Now, the water temperature is sitting at 68°F, which is about 1°F above the long-term average for this time of year – so nothing out of the ordinary, just your typical warm Portuguese summer water.

The first few days are grim. Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd are all poor surf conditions with messy cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, tiny swell around 2ft to 3ft, and weak energy. Tuesday the 4th morning is the only tiny glimmer early on – we get a glassy morning with a light SW breeze, swell 3ft from the west, period 9 seconds, energy at 135 (moderate wave energy). That’s surfable but very ordinary conditions. It’s the best you’ll get for a while, but it’s hardly a standout.

Then we hit a long, frustrating gap. From Tuesday afternoon right through to the end of the first week and into the start of the second week, it’s a steady stream of poor surf conditions, with winds mostly cross-on or cross, and the swell bouncing between 2ft and 5ft but never with a clean window. The wind state is usually choppy, and the scores are all zeroes. There’s a brief moment on Friday the 7th morning where the swell hits 6ft from the NNW, period 8 seconds, energy 347 (strong wave energy), but it’s crossed up by a 9 mph NNW breeze and only rated as marginal. Not worth getting excited about.

The real dry spell runs from around the 5th through to the 13th – that’s over a week of nothing worthwhile. The swell energy drops right back to 23 on the 11th, just a whisper.

Things start to look a little more interesting as we head into the second week. Thursday the 13th morning shows a pulse of energy with 3ft from the WNW, period 9 seconds, energy hitting 260 (strong wave energy), but it’s still a marginal call with a cross-shore wind. The first proper standout of the whole forecast arrives on Friday the 14th morning. It’s a clear morning with a light N breeze at 3 mph, giving us a light cross-shore with small wind ripples. The swell is 4ft from the WNW, period 9 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 549 (strong wave energy). That’s a proper groundswell pulse, and the period is long enough to give some shape. The wind is light and cross, so it’ll be reasonably clean. This is the pick of the entire 16 days, hands down.

Saturday the 15th morning has a bigger swell – 7ft from the NW, period 8 seconds, energy 527 (strong wave energy) – but it’s crossed by a N wind at 12 mph, and the period is shorter, so it’ll be a bit of a messy, lumpy affair. Definitely for the more experienced crew only at that size. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th mornings both have 6ft from the NW, with periods dropping to 6-7 seconds, energy still strong (398-485), but the winds remain cross-shore and the conditions are poor to marginal.

So, to wrap it up: the best of a rough bunch is Friday the 14th morning at Cabedelo. Decent WNW groundswell, solid energy, and light cross-offshore wind. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only session that looks like it could give you a few proper waves. Before that, you’re mostly waiting. After that, Saturday’s got size but is messy, and the rest fades. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath for the first week.

Rusty

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