Praia Cardoso Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's comin' down at Praia Cardoso over the next couple of weeks. I'm gonna give it to you in feet and miles per hour.

The opening looks promising, with a solid pulse of south swell on Monday the 7th. We’ll see a 6-foot south groundswell with a period of 10 seconds rollin' in, and the combined wave energy is looking moderate at 671. The water temp's sittin' around 64°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so a spring suit is probably all you’ll need. The wind is light and cross-offshore – that'll keep the surface clean and make for some fun, surfable lines. Monday morning is the standout of the early window.

The surf settles down a touch Tuesday the 8th with a smaller 4-foot SSE swell, but a northerly cross-off breeze will keep things tidy. That’s another decent session for the intermediate crew, but by Tuesday afternoon, the wind gets stiff and the swell drops off, so the shine wears off.

Wednesday the 9th is a write-off – wind from the south-southeast is straight onshore and the swell is weak, out at 3 feet. Thursday the 10th sees a small S swell of 3 to 4 feet with longer intervals, and a light cross-off breeze in the morning will make it look clean, but it ain't exactly powerful. It’ll be surfable in the morning, but nothing special.

Friday the 11th is a total bust with howling winds and tiny waves, skip it. Saturday the 12th brings a jump in size – 8-foot SSW swell on the morning – but the wind is howling at 28 mph, creating a messy, cross-choppy mess. That’s a day for the kites, not surfers.

Sunday the 13th is a real kicker. Overnight we get a big 10-foot S swell roll through, with a period of 12 seconds. The wind is light and cross, but the wave energy reading is sky-high at 2870. The problem? This wave is simply too big for Praia Cardoso – it’ll be a closeout, washing machine situation. Leave this one for the experts only, and honestly, even they might be in trouble.

The session on Monday the 14th is still hanging onto that energy with 8-foot swell through the morning, but it's sloppy and choppy, nothing to get excited about. Tuesday the 15th is blown out too.

Things look better again on Wednesday the 16th. A 6-foot S swell shows up, period is short at 8 seconds, but the wind is light cross-off from the north-northeast. It’ll be clean. The morning is the pick.

Now, looking further ahead, the second week brings some serious late-winter juice. Thursday the 17th sees an 8-foot S groundswell with a very long 14-second period early on, with skinny cross-offshore wind. The energy is monstrous at 2715. This is a powerful, long-period swell – it'll be best for the point and reef breaks, but break too straight and fast across this beach setup. It's a definite expert-only zone, especially with the wave getting up to 10 feet by the afternoon.

Friday the 18th is still massive with a 10-foot S swell and a period of 15 seconds. Another one for the adrenaline junkies, but the general surfer is going to be watching from the sand. It's just too much power for this spot.

The swell tapers off through the weekend of the 19th and 20th, dropping from 5 feet down to 2 feet or less. The final days from the 21st onward are tiny, with flat to knee-high junk and strong winds. The window closes by the end of the run.

So, for the best on offer: nail Monday morning, September 7th – that’s your clean 6-foot south swell with light offshore wind – that’s gold. The other real standout is Wednesday morning, September 16th – it's smaller but clean and will be a fun, hassle-free session.

Rusty.

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