Aracaju Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down the numbers for the imperial crowd.

First off, I gotta be honest with you—the outlook is pretty grim. We're looking at Aracaju, and the models are showing a whole lot of "poor surf conditions" from now until way out into the first week of September. That’s a solid two-week stretch of onshore wind and messy, weak waves where it’s just not worth paddling out. The water temp is sitting at 79.3°F with a positive anomaly of 1.4°F, so it's about average for this time of year, but that's where the good news ends.

The first few days from Friday the 21st through to the end of August are all onshore, choppy, and small. We’re talking swell heights of 1.6 ft to 4.6 ft, mostly from the ESE, with short periods of 7 to 8 seconds. The wind is a constant onshore or cross-onshore breeze, from 6 mph up to 16 mph, so it’s blown out. The combined energy is weak to moderate (49 to 179), but the quality is just not there. For a beginner-friendly spot like Aracaju, that’s a real bummer.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on the 26th of August (Wednesday) when we see a long-period groundswell from the S at 13 to 15 seconds, but the swell height is only 1.6 ft to 2.0 ft, and the wind is still onshore. The energy jumps up to 260–266 (moderate), but the conditions are still poor. Same story on the 27th: a 2.0 ft swell from the SSE with a very long period of 18 seconds, energy up to 354, but again, poor surf. The wind is onshore and choppy, so it’s a tease.

Now, the 28th of August (Friday) and the 29th (Saturday) bring a bit more energy. We see a 3.0 ft to 3.3 ft swell from the SSE with a period of 15 to 16 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 684 (strong wave energy). That’s a proper groundswell. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is still cross-onshore from the E at 13 mph, making it choppy. Aracaju is an exposed beach, so a long-period swell like this hitting a beach break with onshore wind is going to be sectiony and messy. It’s a pass for paddle surfing, unless you’re a kite surfer looking for a bit of chop.

The last week of the outlook, from the 30th of August into early September, is more of the same. Onshore wind, 3.3 ft to 4.6 ft swell from the E and ESE, periods of 7 to 8 seconds, and energy levels from 125 to 403. The wind picks up to 16–19 mph, making it lumpy at best. No standout days, no clean windows.

So, to be honest, there’s nothing here to get excited about. The best of a bad bunch is probably the 28th of August (Friday) morning with that 3.0 ft SSE swell and 16-second period, but the cross-onshore wind kills it. It’s a long-period groundswell that would be epic at a point break or reef, but at a beach break with onshore wind, it’s just a choppy mess. For a beginner spot like Aracaju, it’s a no-go. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

It’s a rough run. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board at home.

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