Figueira da Foz - Cabedelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet start for Cabedelo. The first week or so is looking like a write-off. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak waves and dodgy wind directions. The only real standout is a tiny session on Tuesday 14th July in the morning – the water is 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, about 3° cooler than average. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the west, period of 6 seconds, so it’s weak and short period. The combined energy is only 65, so really weak. But the wind is glassy, absolute calm, which means it will be clean and fun for a beginner. It’s not going to be anything special, but for a beginner-friendly beach break that’s fairly consistent, it’s a chance to get wet. There might be a few people around as crowds happen sometimes.

Then we hit a long gap. Through the rest of the week and into the next, everything is poor. The swell is small, the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the waves are just messy. Saturday 18th July morning has glassy conditions again, but the swell is still only 2ft from the NW with a short 5-second period – weak energy at 38. It’s surfable but nothing to write home about.

The first real sign of life comes on Thursday 24th July morning. The swell picks up to 3ft, but it’s from the WNW and has a nice long period of 12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 392, which is moderate. Wind is light and cross-shore. It’s still only marginal, but the longer period will give the waves a bit more shape and push. This is a glimpse of something better. The afternoon gets bigger, 5ft from the WNW, period 11 seconds, energy at 689, but the wind picks up to a moderate cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy.

Saturday 25th July morning is the best of the bunch so far. Swell 6ft from the NW, period 10 seconds, energy 673. The wind is moderate cross-shore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s a decent size with good energy. The break is exposed to the W swell, and the optimum direction is W, so that 6ft from NW is a good match. This is well over 5ft, so it’s getting into the zone where beginners might find it a bit much, but it’s still in the fun range for most. The afternoon drops off a little and the wind gets stronger.

After that, the swell really ramps up. Monday 27th July morning shows 7ft from the NW, period 9 seconds, energy 720. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit scrappy, but the size is there. The problem is, the forecast says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. For a beach/pier setup, that much swell at 7ft will be closing out and dangerous for anyone but experts. The same goes for Tuesday 28th July morning – 7ft from the NW, period 8 seconds, energy an enormous 1184. Again, the wind is cross-shore, but this is expert-only territory. The wave energy is very strong, but the short period will make it dumpy and hard to paddle into.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a dud. The best chance for a clean, fun wave is Tuesday 14th July morning – small, clean, glassy, and perfect for a beginner. The bigger stuff in the second week is promising in size but the wind is never quite right, and the size gets too big for the beach break. If you’re an expert and don’t mind a bit of chop, the 24th to 25th July mornings are your best bet. But for most of us, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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